Misery Loves Company
by Ryan Erik
Summary: Twenty years after Ranma Saotome vanished into the night after his bachelor party, Nerima has moved on without him. The common struggles that his friends endured brought them together as family, as the chaos Ranma embodied no longer caused endless conflict. Now, after every last person gave up hope of his return, a familiar looking redhaired girl steps off a plane into their lives.
1. Prelude: Love at First Glance

Two years before the coming of the new Millennium, Ranma Saotome disappeared under mysterious and suspicious circumstances. The friends and family who knew the young man mourned his loss, and all of them moved on in due time, though some scars never healed. Time brought changes, triumphs and defeats; love bloomed in the strangest of places, but the half-mythical events that became a trademark of Ranma's presence in Nerima ceased, until one rainy day, when a simple chance meeting between two young people, who had never laid eyes upon one another before, started the circle all over again, with one fated glance.

* * *

**Misery Loves Company  
**A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Prelude: Love at First Glance

Countless people walked past the black-haired young man as he patiently waited in the airport terminal for his twin sister. Commuter traffic on the weekends was horrible year-round and the youth simply had to experience it at its worst time. Being pressed up against the wall while searching through a sea of travelers was one thing, but he had to make his way across the terminal to find out which gate his sister would come from as well.

Wondering how he let his mother convince him to pick his sister up in the first place, the teenager shook his head in disgust. He had just arrived home from his summer job at the market and was tired from lifting those stupid crates full of fresh fruit. Simply unable to deny her anything, even when he had good reason to do so, he obeyed her and immediately left to the airport, sulking the whole way. He did not even have time to change out of his work clothes!

While trudging his way through the crowd, someone slammed into him, jarring him backwards. While the actual impact normally would not even have fazed him, any pressure to his still tender ribs was another story. Holding his sides, he continued cautiously, maintaining his extremely slow pace through the river of people, as if cutting upstream in a canoe with half of an oar. Glancing at his watch distractedly, he noted the time. His sister's flight should have arrived by now.

What kind of mess have you got yourself into now, Kenichi Tendou? he sarcastically thought as he searched the arrival board for his sister's flight. He could be at home right now, training with his mother's class, or better yet, enjoying a meal at Ucchan's with his friends. Instead, he was walking towards her gate, disgruntled. He shrugged off that train of thought as he saw his sister's sprightly figure bouncing through the crowd.

"Mayako!" he shouted in an attempt to gain her attention. He cut his way through people a little more aggressively to reach her, receiving more than a few angry words and obscene gestures.

"Hey, Kenichi!" she cried back, likewise working her way towards him. When they reached each other, she collided into him like a freight train, nearly knocking him off his feet, then threw her arms around him in support.

"It's so good to see you, little brother!" she greeted him, not missing a chance to tease him on their birth order, while squeezing the air out of his lungs.

"It's only been a few weeks, sis," he said, but he felt the same. Although they probably fought only a bit less than any normal brother and sister, he could relate to her better than anyone he knew. There were so few people that he could connect with, and his sister, whether fortunately or unfortunately, was one of them. It might have been the fact that they were twins, or that their hobbies were virtually identical, but he did not know for sure.

"Yeah, but I missed you anyway," she replied with a smile. "Is daddy or mom here?" she asked as they began to walk with the flow of traffic.

"Nah, just me," he answered, hoping she would not be upset. One thing about his sister was that she was emotionally fickle, extremely happy one moment and utterly sad the next. Half of it was an act, though. "Mom had to teach the evening class and dad..." he trailed off, hoping she could figure out why he was not here.

"Took another training trip?" she finished, shaking her head with a chuckle. "Silly daddy."

"Yeah," Ken said with less humor.

"Ah, cheer up," she whispered, putting her arm around his back and flashing one of her trademark kawaii smiles at him. "He usually finds the time to visit us."

"Most of the time," he said, holding his side remembering their last meeting.

"Are you okay, Ken?" his sister asked, concerned. "Dad smack you hard last visit?"

"Yeah," he sheepishly admitted, biting his lip. He decided to change the subject. "Grandfather was all worked up about something yesterday," he informed her. "I couldn't get many details out of him, though. He was crying as usual, so what he said was very slurred, something about an old friend's son meeting him about some business or another."

"No names?" she asked, probably wondering if she knew him.

"Nope, but I think he mentioned something about him being from the States."

She looked at him curiously. "From the States? Grandfather knows someone from there?"

Kenichi shrugged in reply. "Like I said, I couldn't get much out of him. Guess we'll see."

"Yeah."

They continued walking slowly through the crowd until they entered the cafeteria, when Mayako turned to her brother with a strained look on her face.

"Can you wait right here, Ken?" she asked, a little tense. "I have to go to the bathroom! The one of the flight smelt bad!"

He grinned, shrugging. "Sure thing, sis. Try not to take too long though. I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

"I won't take that long," she promised before disappearing into the ladies' restroom.

Kenichi impatiently paced outside the door, watching different people commute through the airport's cafeteria. Something about crowds made him shiver. He tended to avoid them like the plague, and situations like this put him on edge. Perhaps it was good for him, like his mother always said, to get out and socialize, meet new people besides the one's he knew since birth, but that excuse never really worked for him.

Sighing deeply, Kenichi turned to face the door of the ladies' restroom, cynically thinking that if he wished hard enough, his sister would stop taking her sweet time and rejoin him so that they could leave. A bit of nausea wormed its way into his cast-iron senses, and he closed his eyes and held his forehead. Maybe if he took a brisk walk around the food court...

Not paying the least attention to his path, he collided into someone, hard. Surprised, he sprawled onto his bottom.

"Ouch," someone moaned as Kenichi regained his senses.

"I am so sorry!" he apologized, bowing his head from his prone position. "Please forgive me...miss," he said, looking up quickly at the person in front of him. He only caught a glimpse of her fiery red hair as he began to help her collect her bags.

"Forget it," she muttered unenthusiastically.

The suitcase she carried had jarred open, spilling some of its contents. Aside from some undergarments, which he tactfully let her pick up, a properly folded martial arts gi bound with an ornamental black belt caught his attention. He quickly searched for any specific identifying marks as to match it with a school before he shoved it in her suitcase, but did not recognize any. As he reached for a rolled up shirt, their heads collided quite hard.

Shying back from her slightly, he looked up and caught her quick glance. His mouth cracked open slightly and his eyes widened. Before him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his young life, bar none. Her sapphire blue eyes caught the light, reflecting back into his eyes. Her lightly tanned skin was completely unblemished, with no trace of make-up seen. Parted down the middle, her messy, crimson bangs shaded her eyes, as her long red hair spilled over her left shoulder in a loosely tied braid. She wore a simple red, knee-length dress, yet on her it seemed fit to be worn by royalty. Turning her head quickly, she broke their mutual glance.

His heart leaped through his chest and he realized he had yet to take a breath since he laid his eyes upon her. Standing up quickly, he offered his hand to her, his breath still held, hoping that she would take it. Sparks shot up his arm when he felt her touch; her small, warm hands felt softer than silk. Time seemed to freeze as he pulled her to her feet, their eyes meeting one last time.

He bent over quickly, retrieving her suitcase and a sealed bag that he failed to notice earlier and handed it to her. She took it slowly, their hands touching again as the bag passed into possession. The look on her face showed that she wanted to say something, but instead she smiled.

"I'm sorry, miss...?" he apologized again, hoping that she would give him her name.

"Nishiyama," she replied. She turned to leave, but looked at him one last time. "You are forgiven, Kenichi-san."

His mouth creasing in a broad smile, he watched her until he could see her no longer. The exchange over, he felt light-headed as he unsteadily walked back to the door of the ladies' bathroom. Never in his life had he ever felt like that, his heart beating rapidly, sweating under his clothes and all together nervous.

"Nishiyama," he repeated, a dreamy look appearing on his face. "How'd she know my name?" he thought out loud.

"I think the name tag was a big giveaway," his sister said, having just exited the restroom. "You really should change out of your work uniform before you go places." She paused for a moment and asked, "Who's Nishiyama?"

"The girl of my dreams," he answered, still looking towards the direction she had departed.

"Come on, lover boy," his sister said, tugging on his shirt- sleeve. "Let's go get some grub."

"Uh-huh," he answered, the girl's face still pictured in his head. "I hope that I see her again."

"Wish hard enough," Mayako told him, taking his hand a pulling him towards the food court. "Airport food now or Okonomiyaki later?" She paused as they entered the food court.

"Let's wait," he answered, catching up to walk beside her. "Auntie is probably cooking, and that's more than worth it." Mayako nodded picking up her pace. Kenichi could hear her stomach growling.

Something out of the corner of his eye caused him to turn his head, and he saw her again, sitting across from a young man wearing a business suit. "Hey, hold up a second, Mayako." She stopped and peered at him curiously, while he looked at the redhead he bumped into earlier.

"What are you looking at?" Mayako asked with a nudge.

Kenichi pointed towards where the girl sat. "See her?" Mayako nodded. "That's the girl I was talking about. Isn't she amazing?"

"Can't see her too well from here," his sister stated, resting her elbow on his shoulder. "But I see what you mean."

"Man, I wish I could go talk to her," Kenichi whispered, shaking his head.

"Hey, now I get it," Mayako said, the tone of her voice foreshadowing a brutal round of teasing. "So you DID have a crush on Susanna Jimenez, that foreign exchange student who was in our class last year!"

Warmth rushed to Kenichi's face as he stepped back, warding his hands out in defense. "What?! Where'd you get that idea from? She could barely speak Japanese!"

"Yeah, but her hair was almost that red!" Mayako shot back, grinning at him. "And then there's that obsession with you and Jei-Jei! Wow, I wonder why I didn't see it before. You've got a fetish for redheads!"

"I am NOT obsessed with Jei-Jei!" he replied angrily, crossing his arms over his chest. Jei-Jei, along with about two dozen other warriors, were digital 'skins' for an adventure game the two of them owned. Jei-Jei was a very attractive redhead warrior. "She's just the best fighter; that's all. It's not like I use her a whole lot anyway. I mostly use Jeraban." Jeraban, of course, was the bishounen guy with an unrealistically long katana that he did use most of the time. He let a simulant, a computer controlled character, use Jei-Jei, unless someone played with him.

"Sure, whatever, making me play Jei-Jei and getting off on it," Mayako said disgusted. "And I thought I knew you!" She took off down the terminal.

Kenichi stood stunned for a moment before running after her.

"That's disgusting, Mayako! How could you even think that?!"

"My brother, lusting after me like a hormone crazed animal? Whatever is a girl to do?"

"Ack!"

"Haha! Gotcha...!"

And so Kenichi left the airport, completely forgetting about the redheaded girl he had accidentally met in the airport, for the time being.

* * *

Moments before, a Boeing jumbo-jet performed a near flawless landing, coming to a stop at its destination: Tokyo, Japan. After a few moments, the runway crew had the portable stairway pressed up against the plane, allowing its passengers to depart the craft. As the first people made their way down the stairs, a gentle rain began to caress the asphalt runway.

A pair of sad, sapphire blue eyes regarded this new event stoically, and the redheaded girl that owned them held out her free hand, catching a few droplets before reclaiming the suitcase at her feet. She kept a steady pace down the stairway, her luggage steady at her side. This homecoming would not be an easy one, no matter how short she planned it to be.

Intent on meeting her older brother at the food court, she followed the line of people into the airport terminal. The crowd in San Francisco was nowhere near as bad as the one that greeted her here. No matter how large the new airport in Tokyo was, there were too many people clustered together in the center. Though she was not exactly nervous around large groups of people, that did not mean she had to like being in them.

Throughout her life, one constant always seemed to be solitude. Her childhood was spent in poverty and traveling, and she never had a chance to grow accustomed to the large populations that cities held. She could not wait to cast aside formalities and be back in the countryside that had raised her. She wanted to surround herself with something familiar, like a protective cloak shielding her from the chill of her cold reality.

Why did it have to be so hard? Here she was, back in Tokyo where everything had begun, and everything had ended, and yet she needed to pull herself together to endure it all. Though the emotional calm that she struggled to keep was not in much danger of crumbling, she was still somewhat of a wreck. Her anger and frustration often got the better of her, and that was only the start of her self-realized problems.

The fact that her sleep, for the past week, had been restless at best did not help the matter. Nightmares of her past, present and future all led up to the decisive moment that she might soon face, but she could only wonder if she was ready. Her former life's love would be so nearby that she needed to decide whether or not she was ready to endure that conflict now, or later, after she had better prepared herself. Unfortunately for her, fate always seemed ready to make that choice for her.

Pressing those thoughts away for later, she mindlessly joined the crowd. Jarred in every direction, she sorted through the people, paying little attention to where she actually was being led. Eventually the food court came into her sights, and she sighed. The crowds had thinned by that time, and her brother would be waiting for her.

Ready to begin search for him, she looked up, and gasped in shock. Standing a few feet from the ladies' restroom door, a youth dressed in a navy-blue shirt and gray slacks seemed to be waiting for someone. The not-quite-short, not-quite-tall stature and short black hair were not lost on her. She trembled at the very sight, barely able to keep walking forward.

It's probably not who you think, she thought, readying herself for disappointment. Picking up her pace, she changed her course slightly to walk past the person in question, and with every step, the resemblance became closer. With growing hopes, Kimiko Nishiyama approached whom she thought to be her former love, coming just close enough to see the face.

She was totally caught off-guard when her target took a quick step back and smacked straight into her.

"Ouch," Kimiko moaned, her eyes still locked on the fallen form in front of her. Something was wrong with the picture, and the answer slowly dawned on her. The person she mistook to be Akane Tendou...was male!

"I am so sorry!" the young man apologized, moving to gather her bags. She could only stare at him dumbly. If the Akane that she remembered had a younger brother, this would be him. From the short black hair parted down the middle and hanging over his ears, to his cute, heart-shaped face and large brown eyes, she did not feel quite as stupid as she initially felt in mistaking him for Akane.

"Forget it," she muttered to him, very disappointed that he was not who she wished him to be.

She shied her gaze from him the instant he looked up at her and began to assess the condition of her fallen bags. She blushed slightly, seeing her underwear scattered across the smooth, tiled floor. As she began to return them to the proper suitcase, she leaned over too close and their heads collided, rather hard. After she quickly returned the clothing to the proper suitcase, she looked at him again. This time, he returned the gaze, forcing her to quickly shy her face once more in embarrassment.

He then stood and offered his hand to her. She debated his offer for a moment, but could not see the harm in it; after all, her legs still feeling a little wobbly. His cool hand easily enclosed her much smaller one, as he helped her to her feet.

From the expression on his face, it appeared that he had something to tell her, or that he knew her somehow. Smiling casually, she looked at him intently, desperately wishing she could ask him if he was any way related to Akane. Unfortunately, she could not will herself to ask such a question out of the blue.

"I'm sorry, miss...?"

"Nishiyama," she answered mechanically.

With nothing left to say, she turned her back in preparation to leave. There was more to this than a chance encounter with an Akane clone, and she turned back to him again, noticing a name tag on his shirt. "You are forgiven, Kenichi-san." She began to walk away from him as fast as she could without attracting unnecessary attention. Now, she had to locate her brother.

Kiyoshi Nishiyama patiently waited for her at one of the small tables around one of the food vendors, sipping a cup of coffee, and reading a newspaper. He had come on an earlier flight, the reasons for which she did not know. Looking up as she approached, he smiled warmly, pulling back a chair for her to sit on.

"Hey," she greeted, taking the offered seat.

"It's about time, Kimiko-chan," he replied, giving her shoulder a fond squeeze before going back to the paper. "I was beginning to worry."

"Someone bumped into me," she explained, stealing the coffee from him and taking a sip. "He knocked my stuff all over the place."

"Oh?" he replied, looking up for a moment. His smile turned into a grin. "Caught off guard?"

"Yeah, whatever," she admitted, turning out towards the busy food court. "Ran into some kid who wasn't watching where he was going."

Kiyoshi's face took on a more grim manner, like when he was ready to tell her one of his depressing stories to maybe make her feel like her situation was not as bad as she thought. She did not give him the chance.

"Hey, look," she quickly stated, then stole one more sip of the burning hot coffee, before surrendering it back to him. "I've got something that I really have to do, Kiyoshi-kun," she informed him. "I'll call a cab when I'm ready to go. Where are we staying?"

"The Hilton in Tokyo proper," he responded with a blank face. "I guess this is one of those 'Don't ask, don't tell' things?" She nodded slowly. "Okay, but try to finish it up as soon as possible. When you're done, ask at the front desk and someone will show you to the room. And be back by dark?"

"I'll try," she told him, rising to her feet. "I'll probably get there before you, knowing how slow you drive."

"Just be careful," he said, slightly irritated at her choice of subjects in which to tease him. He would never get over the fact that a turtle could beat him in a race as he drove a Corvette. He halfheartedly waved to her, and whispered, "See you later."

"Bye, Kiyoshi-kun."

Without further notice, she took her red handbag from the table and quickly slipped back into the food court. She truly wished that she had worn pants instead of a dress, but with Amanda dropping her off at the airport, the outfit she now wore had been picked out for her days in advance. While using her preferred travel method through busy cities, she realized that wearing dresses tended to give the male population nose bleeds.

Kimiko quickly discovered her target who was being half-dragged by a dark-haired girl roughly his height. Keeping a safe distance away, Kimiko followed the couple out of the airport, to the parking lot outside. A bit of panic started to fill her when she realized that she probably would not be able to keep up with them if they took a car.

She grinned when they unlocked a pair of bikes and begin to leave the parking lot. She could easily follow bicyclists. Hiking her dress up slightly to give her more mobility and strapping her handbag around her shoulders and waist, she sprinted to keep up with the teenagers. Stunned onlookers watched her as she sped by them in her marathon to keep up.

Running down the sidewalks after them soon proved difficult through Tokyo's crowds, so Kimiko had to improvise. Steering down the nearest alley, Kimiko launched herself at the concrete wall on one side of the enclosed space, and immediately rebounded to the opposite side. A few more bounces, and she neatly landed on top of the shortest building. All of the structures in the immediate area were roughly the same height, to her luck.

The chase continued, but this time she was a hawk following her prey, instead of a wolf. The sky was her element as she leaped rooftops, easily keeping track of her targets. The couple had stopped at a light, giving her a chance to rest on top of an apartment building. From her seat on bench, a bewildered teenage girl, reading a book, sitting under an umbrella, stared at Kimiko with wide eyes.

"Hi," Kimiko greeted with a smile.

The girl's only response was to blink.

The light turned green, and Kimiko leaped off the building in a blinding surge of speed. Time slowed as she descended towards the sidewalk on the opposing side of the street. Luckily, she did not land close enough to startle anyone too badly, and the bike riders had already passed her moments before so they would not notice her.

Already slightly winded, Kimiko followed their trail a little more slowly, hoping for another red light to slow their pace. Akane's look alike, Kenichi, and the girl with him tore down the street, as if racing one another. Kimiko fought to keep up, but she just was not up to the long distance, high speed chases anymore.

The couple turned down a street, leaving the redhead's sight for a few moments until she turned the corner. They had dismounted their bikes, walking towards a train station.

"Thank God," she muttered, slowing to a walk. Unknown to her until now, sweat covered her body. Her dress clung to her as if it were a size too small, especially around her breasts and thighs. She brushed away her soaked bangs, slicking them back and tightening the tie on her ponytail. Quickly readjusting her red dress and ignoring a few voyeurs, Kimiko unstrapped her handbag and calmly followed the two who were walking their bikes towards the station.

After a brisk walk up the stairs, she watched as the teenagers led their bikes into the train. Locating a few coins in her handbag, she slipped them into the turnstile, and approached the train. The snake- like machine was only a few cars long, but the design took her breath away. It was shaped like a tube, and its silver coat was shiny enough to reflect the sun brightly into her eyes. The bottom of the train was flat, and it hovered several feet off the clear track. Electricity sparked underneath the floating metal snake as it hung there, as if its tail was hook around a branch above, and its head was gobbling up the passengers as they approached.

Kimiko cautiously entered the same car as the teenagers did, except she used the other door. The interior of the train was just like a bus and had about as much room. There was room for two people to sit on each chair, and there were bike racks well above them. The boy, Kenichi, was hooking his to the ceiling, while the girl was sitting down.

Kimiko ducked into an empty seat behind a tall, blond gaijin man, who partially obscured her view of the teens. She scooted to the window seat to see past him, and then watched as Kenichi sat next to the girl.

With a deep sigh, Kimiko slouched into the soft bench seat and closed her eyes. The electric hum of the train tempted her senses with the release of sleep, but she knew well she did not have that option, no matter how badly she wanted it. Train safety was never very high when she had last been in Tokyo, though some sense told her that things had changed.

The train's doors closed with a loud swish of air, and the metal snake began coasting, though she barely felt the transition. Her heart began to race when she saw the view. The city of Tokyo glittered against the sunlight, a brilliant star on Earth. When her mind had been focused on chasing the teenagers, she had kept her senses all trained on the race, but now that she had the time to stop and smell the roses, they were sweeter than she could have imagined.

As she began taking in the sights, the city blurred as the train accelerated like a flash of light, burning from one side of the city all the way across, into a less populated suburb. The train kept burning its trail through Tokyo, and Kimiko only sat stunned until it began to slow as they approached the next station.

The teenagers did not even budge, so Kimiko stayed in her seat. The blond gaijin that had been in front of her stood and exited the train. This time, a decent sized crowd boarded the train, quickly filling the seats. A brunette in a dirtied school uniform beamed a smile at Kimiko as she sat.

"Hello," Kimiko said quietly, turning back to the window as the doors swished shut. She could only perceive the train's movement through the cityscape's movement in her window, and the blur of her vision. She only half watched it, thinking about what she planned to do after she discovered where the boy lived, or wherever he was going. What would she do then, lift his wallet and pretend he dropped it when they bumped in the airport? Although now that she thought about it, it was not a half-bad idea.

Again the train arrived at the next station. As it came to a complete stop, half of the occupants stood, obscuring her view of the teenagers. Kimiko calmly stood, but most of the people around were taller than her, so she still could not make out the couple. Walking past the brunette and into the aisle, she approached where the two had been seated, and saw them in the same spot they had been. Noticing the seat behind them empty, she quickly sat in it.

"No way," Kimiko heard a female voice in front of her argue. "Dan Lieu beats him nine times out of ten. Plus, he's way hotter."

"Attractiveness doesn't count," a male voice retorted. "If I remember correctly, I beat you three times in a row while you were using Dan, and I beat you every time. Don't even give me that "he's way hotter, too" bullshit, Mayako. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Okay, baka," the girl said back, amused. "But he is, anyway. Have you ever really looked, and I mean REALLY looked at his butt? He could kill somebody with that thing if he isn't careful, whew."

If Kimiko would have known they would be talking about butts and hot guys, she would have thought twice about sitting behind them. But it was too late as the doors swished shut and the train started again.

"I don't really look at digital guy's butts," the boy defensively said.

"Oh, that's right. You only look at real guy's butts."

And that was when their conversation turned into a long string of insults. Kimiko tried to block out their constant banter, preferring the scenery and her thoughts. She rested her head against the vibrating glass windows, closing her eyes. When they reached the next station, the two teens stood and began to unhook their bicycles from the racks above the walkway. Kimiko did her best to hide from them as they finished and began to exit the train. She followed.

Kimiko should not have been surprised at their new location, but she was none-the-less. The very familiar streets of Nerima were a hard one to forget, and any relative of Akane would almost definitely come here. Almost all doubt of their relationship with her former love vanished as she left the station, following them closely behind.

In the suburbs of the Nerima district, she hardly had any trouble taking to the rooftops, as they were almost all the same height. Following them from up above, Kimiko glided effortlessly from one to the next, easily keeping up. Though the rooftops were still quite wet from the rain, she had little trouble maintaining her balance. They were all very similar, tiled in classical Japanese fashion, slanting downward from the center.

Drops of rain silently began to fall from the heavens once again, at first a light mist and then an all out downpour a minute after it started. Kimiko scowled and jumped from the roofs onto the sidewalk. It was simply too dangerous to travel over slick tiles in the rain. She would have to keep to the other side of the road to not be seen.

Watching the two teenagers dismount from their bicycles, chaining them to a pole in front of their destination before entering it, Kimiko felt her knees wobble. Although in a different location, "Ucchan's" stood, doors open, almost as if beckoning for her to enter. She wondered whether Ukyou would be there or not, since twenty years had passed since she had last seen the girl. With the hopeful notion of seeing her old friend again, she cautiously entered, avoiding the boy she had followed here.

Taking a seat in the back with a view of the bar, she plopped down in a padded bench seat with a sigh. She looked around at all the people, wondering if she knew any of them in her past life. With a good view of the teenagers she had followed, she quickly recognized their distinctive appearances. She knew for a fact that those two were twins, both looking like younger versions of Akane. The girl's hair was much longer than her brother's, but that was probably the only difference other than their clothing. Just seeing them sent chills up her spine.

"Hello!" a cheerful, young waitress, popping out of nowhere, greeted, startling Kimiko. She bowed deeply. "Welcome to Ucchan's! I'm Mai and I'll be your server." The bouncy girl in front of her seemed vaguely familiar, but Kimiko could not place her. She was very beautiful and probably no older than thirteen or fourteen. She was dressed in a makeshift outfit, consisting of white blouse, light blue skirt and an apron. She smiled at the redhead warmly, showing her thin elfin features. Though her beauty might have made her stand out, the natural purple highlights in her otherwise normal black hair only did more so.

The waitress placed a menu in front of Kimiko and said, "Can I get you anything to drink?"

She responded, "Water will be fine."

"Okay, just flag me down when you're ready to order!" With that said, the girl skipped away, leaving Kimiko to herself again. Who could she be? She pondered for a few moments when her eyes opened wide. Flipping okonomiyaki on the grill in Ucchan's usual spot, whom Kimiko had expected to see stood someone more than a little familiar. The identity of the waitress also became clear upon seeing the purple-haired Chinese Amazon warrior wearing an Ucchan's apron. Mai clearly was her daughter.

Shampoo, though definitely showing signs of age, looked very good for being approximately thirty-six. She looked much more mature and wore a style of clothing that Kimiko had never seen her wear before: modest. When Kimiko had been pursued by her, all Shampoo had worn were skin-tight outfits which were anything but that. Her pretty violet hair was styled very differently, cut much shorter than Kimiko remembered it to be.

Pretending to glance through her menu, her eyes shifted between the twins and Shampoo. This was simply too weird. She watched Mai go over to the twins and start a conversation, apparently familiar with each other. Maybe she would ask her if they were related to Akane, but she decided just to generally ask about them, instead. Kimiko waved towards the little waitress.

Returning to Kimiko's table, Mai asked, "Have you decided yet?"

"I'll have a plain and a special," Kimiko told her. As Mai turned to tell the cook of her order, Kimiko quickly asked, "Can I ask you a quick question?"

The waitress turned back curiously and responded with a nod.

"Do you know who those two by the bar are?"

"Huh? Oh, they're Kenichi and Mayako Tendou," Mai answered. "Why do you ask?" Placing her hands on her hips, the girl stood, smiling.

"No reason," Kimiko said, staring between the two. "They're twins, right?" Mai nodded. To dispel any further curiosity on the waitress' part she explained, "They just look familiar - that's all."

Tendou. That was not a name she expected them to bear. Soun could have remarried and had more children, one of the Tendou girls got pregnant without a husband, or maybe the husband took the Tendou name. The second option seemed very unlikely, since the three girls were much too smart to do so. Kimiko disregarded Akane without so much as a thought, and Nabiki was much too clever to put herself in a position like that. Kasumi probably married Dr. Tofu and she would not have sex without marriage anyway. One of them must have married, having the father take the Tendou name. Again, without even thinking, she had already narrowed them down to being either Nabiki's or Kasumi's children.

Eighteen years was too long of a time to be away. She desperately wanted to run up to Shampoo and throw her arms around her, but she knew much better than to cast off her identity. The consequences would be more than she was willing to pay. Her mind further wandering, she wondered how all of her friends would react to her being back. Considering her current condition and appearance, they might mistake her for her own daughter, but hopefully they would not even make that much of a connection. Even if they did find out, would they accept her again, or would they disown her?

Ranma was dead and Kimiko felt the need to keep it that way. Bringing him back would only sully the Saotome name. She did not deserve to be one anymore. Holding her head in her hands, she knew that what Ryouga did to her was the worst thing that could possibly happen to her, the loss of everything she held dear. He did not even put her out of her misery. Without realizing it, tears started flowing down her cheeks.

* * *

"The usual, Kenichi-kun?" Shampoo asked for the third time.

"Yeah," he muttered. His mind was definitely not on eating right now. Up until he bumped into that girl in the airport, he did not believe in love at first sight, disregarding it as nothing more than a creation of cheap romance novels. It was too bad it had to be at the airport where she probably was going to take a flight out of the city, and he would never see her again. And if it was not for Mayako's teasing, he might have even worked up the nerve to go and talk to her at the airport's food court.

"You okay, Ken?" Mayako asked, concern evident in her voice. She put her hand to his head. "You look out of it. You're not still thinking about that girl from the airport are you?"

"Who is she, Kenichi-san?" a curious Mai asked, startling him.

"I don't know," he told them truthfully. "She was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my life." He sighed, resting his head on his hands.

"If you like the exotic, drain every yen out of you, shark type," Mayako teased, patting her brother on the back.

"Why would you like someone like that, Kenichi-san?" Mai demanded when Mayako finished.

"Hey, she was not like that at all," he said in the redhead's defense. "At least, she didn't seem that way. It's not like either of us even met her."

"I didn't even really get that good of a view of her. What did she look like?" Mayako inquired further.

"Red hair, blue eyes, tanned skin," Kenichi began, picturing her face in his head. "She was kind of small, probably only a couple inches over five-foot tall. She wore a red dress, and..." He stopped, sighing wistfully. "She was really pretty."

"Oh," Mai replied sadly. "Well, maybe you'll see her again."

"Yeah right," Mayako laughed. "With his luck?"

Kenichi only grunted in reply to his sister. His mind already began to wander again, thinking about her black belt. The symbols on it were strange, and they certainly did not look Japanese. Then, his mind started poking around a fantasy of meeting her in a martial arts tournament, and after he beat her, he would...

"He's really got it bad," Mai muttered to his sister. Kenichi paid them little attention, his focus still on her image. "I've never seen him like this, even with all the girls at school after him."

"No kidding," she whispered back. Turning back to Kenichi she teased, "I was starting to think you were gay."

Letting the remark go, he simply stared forward at nothing.

"Hey, wait a minute. I think I've seen that girl you're talking about," Mai blurted, gaining his full and complete attention. "She even asked about you."

"W-what?" he stammered in complete incomprehension. "You've seen her?!" More of her words clicked in. "She asked about m-me?" Had his wish come true? Could she actually be here, or was Mai teasing him?

"Sure is. She's sitting right over there," Mai said, pointing towards the back.

"If you're kidding me..." he trailed off, leaving the threat unspoken. He stood up, getting a grip of his senses, and with all the calm he could muster he walked towards the direction Mai indicated, his sister close on his tail.

No more than five seconds later, he stood before her, just as beautiful as he remembered. Her head rested on the table in her hands, tears fresh on her cheeks. Her hair was still wet with rain, falling over her face. He heard a muted sob sound from her and became determined to find out what was wrong.

"Mind if we join you?" his sister asked for him, he silently thanking her.

Looking up at them, the girl stopped crying instantly, her face full of unreadable emotions. Her eyes, still bright red from her tears, danced between them. He stood there waiting for her answer in suspended animation, nothing moving and no one speaking. He could do nothing but stare at her, the closest thing he had ever seen to an angel.

"Suit yourselves," she finally told the twins, wiping tears from her cheeks with her bare, right forearm.

They sat down, Mayako across from her and he next to Mayako.

"What's wrong, sugar?" his sister asked, offering the redhead a napkin, which she took. "You look like you needed a friend."

"More than you know," she mused, chuckling sardonically. "I'm Kimiko Nishiyama," she managed to say between sniffles.

"I'm Mayako Tendou," his sister began, introducing herself. Then she continued, indicating towards him, "And this is my brother Kenichi, whom I think you've met before."

"Hi," he managed to say, still shocked at meeting her again. Fate must be beside him, he decided. There was simply no explanation to bumping into her twice, neither knowing the other before the events.

"Do you come here often?" Mayako inquired, trying to spark conversation. "I've never seen you before."

"I don't live in Tokyo," she told them. "I've never been here before."

Just as Kimiko finished talking, Mai strode up to them, their okonomiyaki in her hands. She calmly placed them in their prospective places, smiling weakly at Kenichi. "If you guys need anything else, just holler." With that, she left them to their conversation.

"Where in Japan are you from, then?" Kenichi asked, hoping she did not live too far away.

"Actually, I'm from the United States," Kimiko said, beginning to pick at her food. She did not quite look Japanese and her accent sounded a little strange, but she definitely had learned in Japan. "How about you guys?" she asked, in between mouthfuls.

"We live here in Nerima," Mayako answered. "How long are you staying?"

"I'm not really sure," the redhead answered, solemnly. "Probably no longer than a week."

Kenichi's hopes wilted. He had found his dream-girl...only to find that she would be leaving soon.

"Ever been to Japan before?" Kenichi asked, trying to get more information out of her. She nodded to his question, her mouth full of food.

"Did you want to talk about it?" Mayako suddenly asked the girl.

"Talk about what?"

"You know, what you were crying about," Mayako clarified. Kimiko stopped eating, putting her chopsticks down, her eyes downcast. Kenichi turned to his sister, disapprovingly. She bit her lip. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so nosy."

"Don't be," Kimiko replied nonchalantly. "I've just had a long day; that's all. Nothing for you to worry about."

"If you're sure," Mayako sighed. "It is nice to have someone you can talk to if you need, though."

"I appreciate the offer," Kimiko said, her face softening. "I really don't know you guys, but if you want to talk, why don't you tell me about yourselves?"

Kenichi, waiting for a moment to speak, deemed it time. "What would you like to know?" With his gaze unwavering from her, he wanted to know everything about her. Nothing escaped his eyes, especially not the way she looked at his sister and him, as if she knew more than meets the eye. Something about her simply called to him, begging for the release of her sadness. Her simple presence was more gratifying than any novel he had read, sport he had played or technique he had learned.

"Anything," Kimiko said. She hummed and her eyes lit up. "Do you know martial arts?"

"Yeah," he replied evenly. That in itself was an understatement, or so he figured. His parents, since he was old enough to walk, had been teaching him and his sister to be the successors of the Anything- Goes style of martial arts and the Tendou dojo. Both of them were the best fighters in their school, not to mention in their age group at tournaments. Though he openly admitted his sister was better, he more than knew martial arts. "How about you? I couldn't help but notice your black belt when your suitcase broke open."

Her face visibly reddened as did his, most likely remembering some of the other contents that spilled from her suitcase. "I'm okay," she responded. "You two any good?"

"We've been practicing since we were little," Mayako bragged, grinning at him. "We enter lots of tournaments, and we win most of them."

"Oh, so modest," Kenichi teased, elbowing his sister playfully, a little sad he did not get the chance to follow up asking about her training.

"Maybe we can get together before I leave and spar or something," the redhead suggested, picking up her chopsticks.

"That'd be great," he replied emphatically. He turned to his sister and asked, "Does mom have class tomorrow?"

"Nope," she replied. "Tomorrow's Saturday. Why, what's up?"

"How about we set up a date for tomorrow?" When Mayako grinned at him deviously, he added, "Just the three of us at the dojo?"

"I don't think I have plans," Kimiko said.

"Works for me, little brother."

They continued to converse, talking about nothing important. Kenichi had few moments in his life that were this happy, but tomorrow would exceed them all. If she would only be here a week, he would try to make the best of it. His heart soaring, they left Ucchan's for home after Mayako reminded him that Kimiko did not know the location of their dojo.

* * *

As they had finished eating at Ucchan's, Kimiko smiled inwardly. Luck could not have been better for her. Here she was, expecting to have to follow them and eavesdrop to figure out who they were and other information, and maybe even have to pick-pocket Kenichi, but now she was talking to them freely and invited to their house.

While this was good news, she could not help but feel a little scared, not that she would admit it of course, but she knew she had to face everyone sometime. Though she may be leaving in less than a week, she might as well take a look around the place. If Akane was there, she would take it like a...well she would act for all she was worth. She had to know Akane's fate and she now had the chance. Nothing could cause her to back down now.

As they exited the building, she looked up at what few stars were visible, silently thanking whatever god existed that she had a chance to see Akane again. Her unhappiness forgotten, she followed the friendly twins to their home.

"Kimiko?"

"Huh?" she asked, embarrassed that she had been so deep in thought that she missed what they were saying.

"You feeling okay?" Ken asked her, much concern evident in his voice.

"Oh, yeah," she replied. "I was just thinking."

"Yen for your thoughts," Mayako said with her head arched back so that she could view the heavens.

Kimiko thought about a response for a second before answering. "I'm just happy that I've made a few friends already. I was a little scared I'd only have my brother to talk to the entire trip."

Her answer made Kenichi beam. She wondered if he did not have many friends, either. He had not exactly been acting strange all night, but his behavior stood on a fine line in between. Although, she figured that she was the last person who should be judging other people, her weird friends and everything she had been through.

Mayako had acted like she knew a joke that no one else quite understood. Though she was undeniably joyful like her brother, her good mood was more directed towards Kenichi than towards her, or so it seemed. Maybe Kimiko's first assumption was right in that he did not have many friends.

The trio arrived at the gates of the Tendou residence, looking exactly like Kimiko had left it so many years ago. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared through them into the compound. She barely noticed that the heavens picked that moment to start the rain showers once more.

"Let's get inside quick!" Mayako exclaimed, pulling Kimiko and Ken towards the house.

Up until this point, Kimiko did not think about what would happen if someone recognized her. Her heart skipped a beat as they entered the house, removing their shoes. Who would be here to recognize her?

As if answering her unspoken question, someone very familiar waved to them as they entered the living room. Soun Tendou, his hair as white as a sheet of paper, smiled at his grandchildren. Still wearing his off-white, disturbingly old gi, the elderly man stood and walked up the trio.

"I'm glad you two are back," he told them. "It seems you have brought one of your friends."

"Yes, Grandfather Soun!" Mayako said cheerfully, hugging him with the same enthusiasm. "Grandfather Soun, this is Kimiko Nishiyama."

"Greetings elder," Kimiko replied with a deep bow, praying he did not recognize her.

Leaning forward, Soun shifted a pair glasses to the bridge of his nose and looked at the redhead thoughtfully. His mouth creased slightly, and his eyes narrowed, but he quickly regained his composure and smiled broadly. "It is good to meet you, dear." After being released by Mayako, he calmly turned and walked back to his chair, sitting down and pretending to read the newspaper.

Casting nervous glances at the children's retreating figures, he tossed the paper aside, rushing into the kitchen. Lifting the phone receiver, he quickly dialed a set of numbers and waited as it rang.

"Hello?" a high-pitch voice piped on the other side.

"Hello, Eiji-chan," Soun greeted, his voice audibly shaken. "Is your Uncle Genma around?"

"Yes, Grandpa!" Eiji replied enthusiastically. "I'll go get him right now!"

Hearing the receiver drop and slam against a hard surface, Soun smiled nervously. Weakly sucking cold air into his lungs, he warily closed his eyes, placing his hand to his brow. Pulling up a kitchen stool to his position, he quickly sat before his legs fell out from underneath him.

"Yes?" a deep, male voice asked, exhausted.

"It's me, Saotome-kun," Soun replied quickly, removing his hand from his sweaty forehead and wiping the perspiration on his gi pants.

"Ah, Tendou-kun, my friend. What is the matter?"

"I have met someone who may be related to your son."

The silent sound of static responded to his statement in addition to Genma's heavy breathing.

"Are you sure?" Genma asked finally, copying the shaky tone of his friend's voice.

"Not totally," Soun admitted. "But the girl my grandchildren introduced me to looked exactly like your son's cursed form did when we last saw him...but maybe a bit younger, I believe."

Another dramatic pause filtered through the receiver, praying upon Soun's nerves.

"Anything else?" Genma asked slowly, breathing heavily against the receiver.

"Yes," Soun replied, nervously adjusting his belt with his free hand. "She gave her name as Kimiko Nishiyama."

"As in Nobukazu Nishiyama, and his adopted son?"

"That might be, Saotome-kun. I'm meeting the boy in a few days, so we shall see by then."

"It has been too long," Genma stated solemnly.

"Aye, it has."

"Would you like to talk to your daughter?"

"No, let's leave her out of this for now."

"Good thinking, Tendou-kun. Find out what you can."

"I will, Saotome-kun. Ja ne."

"Ja ne," Soun heard Genma reply as he placed the receiver on its hook.

* * *

Relaxing a bit as the trio left the living room, Kimiko sighed. She figured that Soun was as oblivious as Kasumi used to be. The thought that bothered her, though, was the fact that the twins had addressed him as "Grandfather Soun," and not father. One of the Tendou sisters must have had them. She dreaded the answer to that mystery.

"Let's go to my room," Mayako suggested.

Not having anything better to do at the moment, Kimiko simply shrugged, and Kenichi followed the two girls as they made their way through the hall and up the stairs. They passed the room that Kimiko had used with her father and walked into Kasumi's old room. As they entered, the room was dark but Mayako quickly flipped the wall switch, lighting up a small globe on the ceiling.

The room was furnished brightly, reminding Kimiko of Sally's taste in decoration. Her dresser, on the immediate left, seemed to be the only plain furnishing in here, most likely a hand-me-down. The bed across the room had sky blue sheets with matching pillow cases. A vanity mirror and a shelf, holding a stereo and various music items, were against the right wall across from the bed. Next to the bed, a night stand with dozens of trophies stood. The walls were completely covered from ground to ceiling with every type of poster one could imagine, from athletes to bunnies. The window on the left wall and far wall were shaded with sky blue curtains, matching the bed.

"Wow," Kimiko said, kneeling by the night stand. Some of the trophies were for soccer, while the others were for martial arts competitions. The trophies themselves did not impress her much, but if they represented half the talent they hinted at, the girl was a superb athlete. Kimiko then sat down on the bed, right next to the stand. "You must be pretty good to win all of these."

"Miss Perfect?" Kenichi sarcastically asked, sitting next to her. "She's the world's best at everything! Haven't you heard?"

Jumping onto the bed and grabbing her brother in a head lock, Mayako ground her knuckles against the top of his head. When she released him, she sat back, and turned to Kimiko. "He meant that I am good, but I have lots of room for improvement."

"Yeah, but you use every free moment of your time to rub it in how good you think you really are," he teased, and then stuck out his tongue. Kimiko chuckled at their antics.

"Mock me again, and you're not going to be able to stand for a week!" Mayako then feigned a punch, which Kenichi attempted to dodged, leaning back into Kimiko, who was caught off guard by the sudden contact. His shoulder brushed up along her body as he sat up. Mayako just laughed out loud.

"Sorry," he apologized, scooting back to the middle of the bed, blushing every inch of the way.

"Do I need to separate you two?" Kimiko asked jokingly.

"I'll be good," Mayako promised, saluting her. "You'll get used to us beating on each other after a while. Everyone else does."

Kimiko had to smile at Mayako's answer. As Kenichi started to bicker with his sister more about her always starting their bickering, Kimiko just watched them, crossing her arms over her chest. She studied Mayako's face, still trying to shake off her stunning resemblance with Akane, but something did not fit, and it was not her longer hair. The girl's personality reminded Kimiko more of Sally or even Shampoo rather than Akane.

The girl noticed Kimiko's scrutinizing eye, responding with a friendly wink and a smile. Although not quite Akane, Mayako definitely seemed like friendship material, from her flamboyant attitude to her ability to be so outgoing. A little bit of that girl was all that Kimiko really needed to cheer up. Now, her brother was another matter entirely.

Somehow, Kenichi fit Akane's description better than his sister.

"Oh, be quiet," Mayako finished, putting her hand across her brother's mouth. "Go sit on the floor before I boot you off. You wouldn't want me to kick your ass in front of our new friend, would you?" She flashed her eyebrows innocently.

Taking her hand from his face, he rolled his eyes and slid back to the wall. After flashing an apologetic look to Kimiko, he settled and seemed concede his defeat to his sister.

"He gets the top grades in his class, yet he can't even figure out that he's the root of all my problems!" Mayako teased, throwing her hands up in the air. "But, he is my little brother after all."

Kimiko blinked in confusion. "Aren't you twins?"

"Well-" Mayako began.

"We are," Kenichi interrupted, ignoring his sister's glare. "She just says that because she was born a few minutes before me, although you'd think it was a few years by the way she treats me." He smiled at Kimiko, and then shied his face, staring at the bed.

"You only get what you deserve," Mayako replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "But we argue about this all the time, so let's change the subject."

By Kenichi's grumbles, Kimiko figured he wasn't done talking about it, but Mayako changed it anyway.

The girl turned to Kimiko, absently massaging her own shoulder with her hand. "So, Kimiko-chan," she began, looking directly into her eyes. "What's the scoop on you? Have a boyfriend? Girlfriend? Fiance? Husband?"

She felt a twinge of pain the moment the word fiance was spoken, but she hid it inside, but couldn't stop her cheeks reddened a little bit as she shook her head. "I was in physical therapy for a long time, and then was too busy training all year. I didn't have time to get involved with anyone."

"What was the physical therapy for, Kimiko-san?" Kenichi inquired. She turned to him, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"I had an...accident a while back." Carefully wording things, she tried to tell them about her problems without giving too much away. "I had to retrain my body to get back in shape, but I'm well now."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mayako whispered. With slightly raised volume, she added, "But I'm glad you got better."

"Me too," Kenichi said, smiling. Changing the subject, he asked, "Did you arrive with your parents, or are you here alone?"

"I'm with my brother," she replied nervously, hoping that they did not delve any further into the subject. Careful not to volunteer too much information, she added, "After he finishes business of some sort, we're heading to China."

"Cool," Mayako stated, grasping her knees with her hands. "You going to see the Great Wall?"

"Probably not," she answered. "Kiyoshi has business in China, and he offered me the chance to accompany him. What else would I do with my summer?"

* * *

Kenichi quietly listened to his sister and Kimiko talk about China, since his sister had visited twice before and he had not. The subject mildly interested him, but he really had no reason to traverse outside of Japan. Martial arts, books and art were his idea of a good time, which made China more of a distraction from his hobbies. When his sister had offered for him to go previously, he had declined.

Merely listening intently to Kimiko's voice, he silently sat back, relaxing in her presence. He watched her lips move as she spoke with her light, thoughtful voice. Recognizing an intelligence beyond her age that she held within the depths of her eyes, he stared at her as if paying attention to their conversation.

He continued to look at her, the best thing ever to happen to him, with unrelenting interest, failing to take notice to the fact that they were trying to address him.

"Wake up, zombie-boy," his sister said, knuckling his forehead.

"Hey," he shot back. "Why'd you do that?"

"I asked you a question, dopey," she informed him. The twist of her lips and the slant of her brows denoted her obvious amusement, threatening future teasing.

"What is it, then?" he sighed.

As Mayako only continued to smirk, Kimiko answered for her.

"She asked if you were ever going to leave Nerima, or if you would rather stay here and be a hermit." the redhead repeated for Mayako, the edge of a smile hinting on her lips.

If his sister had spoken the question, he would have had a witty remark or just ignored it, but he could not very well think of a reply to Kimiko.

"Well," he began. "I don't have any reason to leave yet, but I do plan to see Italy someday, and maybe even Greece."

"Yeah, yeah," Mayako teased. "He's always jabbering about Italy, and the great artists and stuff like that, but he never takes the time to go out and see it!"

"Like I have that kind of cash, Mayako," he replied icily.

"All you have to do is ask Mom," she told him neutrally. "It's not like we're starved for money, or anything."

"Whatever," he said. Diverting the conversation from his personal business, he asked, "So, Kimiko, what's California like?"

Kimiko yawned softly, placing her hand over her mouth, and then faced him. Her bright blue eyes blinked as she considered her answer. "Well, where I'm from, it's pretty cold and windy, and rains a lot." She turned to Mayako with a smile. "A few miles drive from where I live is Pebble beach. It's not exactly good for swimming and bathing suits, but it's beautiful and great for training. I haven't traveled all that much, so I haven't seen L.A. or San Francisco."

"I bet there are lots of blond guys running around on the beaches over there," Mayako said with a half-smile and a dreamy look on her face. Kimiko laughed out loud, stifling it a moment later with her hand.

"Some," the redhead replied, nonchalantly. "But they're bleach blondes."

"How's the schools over there?" Kenichi asked, leaning forward with interest.

Kimiko turned and smiled. "They're a lot like schools here, except the students have to go from class to class instead of the teachers. Pretty dumb idea, making thirty kids walk around instead of one stupid teacher. That's really the only difference that I noticed."

"When did you go to school here?" Mayako inquired. "I thought you grew up in America?"

Shaking her head, Kimiko answered slowly. "Well, I mostly lived in Japan." Something in her voice told Kenichi that this was a delicate area. Kimiko glanced around, as if searching to further answer their question, but instead went in a different direction. "How well do you guys know English?"

"Enough to pass the class with a B." Although Kenichi answered her question, he did not forget her evasion of Mayako's earlier question. "Mayako knows less than me. Languages aren't our best areas of learning."

As if to test his statement, Kimiko said something in English. He knew it was a question, but could make no sense of it. He wondered why everyone who spoke English fluently had to speak it so damn fast.

"Ah, too bad," she said, pouting at him. "But you really don't have to know great English to survive in California. As long as you know Japanese or Spanish, you'll find someone to translate. You will be left out of a lot of stuff, though."

"I speak a little Mandarin," Mayako offered, smiling. "Both of my friends Ryosei and Mai know it fluently, and my cousin Reiko speaks English pretty well. But I doze of in English class. It's really boring, and it's not like I want to go to America anyway."

Kimiko shrugged. From the look on her face, she had a different opinion, but kept it to herself. She glanced over at Mayako's digital clock, staring at it in disbelief. "Is it dark out already?"

Mayako opened the window, and pointed at the dark sky.

"Oh, damn. I promised my brother I'd be back at the hotel before dark. I really ought to leave now."

"If you want to do anything before you leave to China, Kenichi is here most of the day, besides when he works," Mayako told her, smiling casually. "I'm here from five or six on, unless I'm having friends over, or something. You're welcome to just drop on by anytime."

"I will," Kimiko promised. "How about tomorrow?"

"We're earlier risers, so whatever time is good for you is good for us," Kenichi told her.

"Okay, I gotta go now," she said sadly. "Can I use your phone?"

"Sure," Mayako answered, pointing to the phone on the wall next to her bed.

Kimiko stood up and sat on the bed, grabbing the phone and dialing. She waited, receiver to her ear. "Hello? Yes, this is Kimiko Nishiyama. Great, I'm at the Tendou Training Hall. Know where that is? Cool, I'll do that. Bye." She put the receiver on its stand and stood up. "The cab will be here in ten minutes. I'm gonna go wait out front for it."

"I'll wait with you," Kenichi offered quickly.

"I've got some stuff I have to do," Mayako said reluctantly. "I'll see you tomorrow though!" With that she nudged her brother with her hip and winked, then waved to Kimiko.

The redhead nodded and calmly walked out of the room, Kenichi following close on her heels. They walked down the stairs. "I want to say good-bye to your Grandfather," Kimiko told him, and he nodded, following her into the living room.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Tendou-san," Kimiko told the elder Tendou, bowing low. "To meet one of the masters of the Anything-Goes School of martial arts is a great honor."

The old man smiled, and bowed to her. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Nishiyama-san. If you ever need a place for instruction, you're welcome here." They turned to leave, but Soun put his hand on his Kenichi's shoulder. "I need to talk to my grandson for one second."

"I'll meet you out in the front, Kimiko," he told her. She nodded and left.

"What is it, Grandfather?"

"Did she mention who her parents were?" he inquired seriously. "This is very important."

Seeing his grandfather so serious startled Kenichi, since it was totally unlike his usual behavior. The old man usually wore his emotions on his sleeve, allowing all around to know his current state. Right now, his eyes were filled with determination and he wore a poker face that rivaled his Uncle Genma's.

Kenichi soberly shook his head, raising an eyebrow at his Grandfather's question. "I don't think so. Is there a problem?"

"No, no," the Tendou patriarch denied, shaking his head. "I was just curious. She looked familiar, and I thought I might know them."

As Kenichi was about to ask him why he had been so serious, the old man threw him off when his expression shifted, forming into a sly grin. "Well, at least you have your grandfather's taste in women, son. She's beautiful."

Bashfully turning away, Kenichi's face turned a bright shade of red, and quickly exited the house. Holding his arms against the cold night, he rubbed them briskly. Walking across the stone courtyard, Kenichi found the gates opened.

"Sorry about that," Kenichi apologized as he met Kimiko outside.

The illumination from the electric lamp across the street lit her face eerily, distorting her features as it flickered, slowly dying. When she lifted her hands from the back of her head, her long red hair swayed loose from its braid, spilling over her back and shoulders. The bottom of her red skirt ruffled slightly against her knees, and its dirty hem seemed to have seen better days, for a few loose strings hung from it.

"No problem," she said, leaning up against the wall. "It's too bad there are so many lights around here."

"How's that?" he asked, going up next to her and doing likewise.

"Can't see the stars," she whispered. "The sky is so beautiful at night." He looked up at the dark, empty night's sky. "I used to spend so much time under them that I sort of took 'em for granted. They were always there for me."

"I know what you mean," Ken said, looking at her, her features hypnotizing him. "Whenever my family goes camping, I always sleep outside the tents, under the stars."

"I almost can't wait," she whispered back.

"Wait for what?"

"Remember how I told you I was leaving for China in a week?" He nodded to her question. "Well, my brother and I are going to travel the countryside. You can see millions of stars there with no stupid lights to wash them out."

"Why almost?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Why can you almost not wait?" he clarified.

She looked at him, her face expressionless. "Mainly because of you."

His heart skipped a beat. Could she be feeling the same for him? "M-me?" he stuttered, hoping against hope.

"Well, you and Mayako. You guys are really cool, and I'd really like to get to know you, even though there's not much time.

"Oh," he sighed, turning back to the sky. "I think you're cool, too and I'll be sad to see you go." He would be sadder than she could ever know.

"Really?" she questioned, her breath on his shoulder, shooting a tremble down his spine. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

"Of course, I'm not. I mean it," he told her. "I know we just met and all, but I feel like I already know you well." There, he got it off his chest, somewhat. Though he made it sound much less intimate than the feeling really was, he at least told her.

"Me too," she whispered to him, shivering a little bit. "I hope this taxi arrives soon."

I don't, Ken thought to himself. He was enjoying his time with her. He looked over at her, her teeth chattering and arms clenched together for warmth.

"You cold?"

"N-no, of course n-not!" she denied, sounding silly as her teeth began to chatter even more. "Are you?"

"Kind of," he whispered. Gritting his teeth, he pulled his guts together and reached around her, placing his arm on her shoulder. Wondering how she would respond, his heart fluttered nervously.

* * *

Readily comfortable with his friendship, Kimiko allowed Kenichi to drape his arm over her shoulders. Regardless of his gender and her usual attitude towards overly friendly males, she had actually been much closer with Sally, and she instinctively knew that she could trust him like she had with Sally.

The warmth his arm provided cascaded down her body, but she still rubbed her chilled, exposed arms. Warm puffs of steam spurted from her mouth as she exhaled, evaporating in the frosty air. Still on the verge of freezing, she wrapped her left arm around his waist, basking in his warmth.

"I'll make sure to bring a jacket next time," she said to herself. "Thanks for waiting with me. It's taking longer than ten minutes."

"Don't mention it," he whispered. "No need for you to wait alone and freeze yourself to death." He laughed nervously, placing his free hand behind his head, and she giggled lightly. "When will you be back from China?"

"Who knows," she replied, shrugging. "A month or two, more or less."

"What are your plans for afterward?"

Her mind elsewhere, she said, "I'm not sure." Something about him made her feel completely at ease, much like Kiyoshi and Amanda. Her eyes slowly slid shut with sleep threatening her consciousness. It had been a long day with the draining plane trip, the long run from the airport to Ucchan's and not to mention all of the emotional stress she had been under.

Opening her eyes, she looked up at to his face and smiled. He looked so much like Akane. A few tears began to well up in her eyes and she took in a deep, shaky breath. He was Akane's height, build and pretty much had her hairstyle, though it was slightly shorter. God, how she missed simply just holding Akane.

"It's not fair," she whispered softly to herself, but apparently not quiet enough.

"What's not fair?" he asked, turning to face her. "What's the matter?"

Mentally cursing at herself for letting her emotions slip yet again, she dried her damn face with her hand. "Nothing," she replied quickly. "The cold air is bothering my eyes; that's all." She turned her head away, not wanting him to see a few more tears streak down her face. Silently gritting her teeth, she wiped her face again, barely able to hold back sobs.

"Oh," he whispered. "I'm sure everything will turn out all right, Kimiko."

Pausing for a moment, she turned to him again. "I hope so." Hearing the sounds of a car approaching, Kimiko looked over her shoulder. "That's my ride."

The red taxi cab pulled up in front of them and stopped.

"You take care of yourself, Kenichi Tendou," she whispered.

He walked over to the door, opening it for her. "You too." She smiled, squeezing his shoulder as she walked past him and sat in the cab.

"Later," she said, as he closed the door for her. They waved to each other as the car departed, leaving behind Kenichi, the Tendou residence, her past and future, just for a single night without worries.

* * *

He sighed, letting out a deep breath. He opened the gate and walked silently toward the house, pausing at the front door. He put his hand on his shoulder, still damp from her tears. She was so emotionally torn, and so vulnerable. He wondered what could have done this to her.

"Good evening, honey!" he heard someone yell out from behind him. He turned around and faced his mother, his little brother grinning happily on her shoulders as they approached him. She was dressed in an informal kimono, and her long, black hair was pulled into a ponytail ending half-way down her back.

"Hi, Mom," he greeted, smiling.

"Sorry I got back so late," she apologized. "There was so much to do at the Saotome's! Did you pick up your sister?"

"Of course, Mom." He wondered if he should tell her about Kimiko. Deciding to tell her later, he took his little brother, Eiji, from her shoulders, putting his feet down on the floor. "How's it going, little brother?"

"Rintaro taught me and Shintaro some cool martial art moves!" he exclaimed, his voice full of vigor. "I bet I can beat you up now, Kenichi!"

"It can wait for tomorrow, Eiji-chan," Akane Tendou told her youngest child. "It's time for bed." She opened the front door allowing him to run through. She then turned to Ken. "How was your day, love?"

"Great," he replied. "I'll tell you about it later."

End Prelude

* * *

With the scene set, the first die cast, and the day over, I conclude the prelude of this tale. I wrote this in August of 1998, and have added and subtracted sections of the text since then. There are actually two fanfictions in a story arc before this one that I wrote, and will eventually publish here when I get them formatted. It takes a long time to process the original .txt format and get them readable on this site. I'm not trying to pull a Lucas and start with the end and then do the prequels later, though that's what I'm ending up doing.

I will post a part of the story every few days, and then I'll go through the trouble of fixing the prequels.


	2. Part One: The Unexpected (1 of 2)

Ranma's return, late shy a decade, is nothing short of a profound event in the lives of his loved ones. Though in the guise of Kimiko Nishiyama that has slowly become him, he goes to meet the twins, Kenichi and Mayako Tendou at his old home. Fate guides his course once more and anything unexpected can happen...

* * *

**Misery Loves Company**  
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Part One: The Unexpected  
(1 of 2)

With a stuffed full, black duffel bag slung over her left shoulder, the young woman slowly wended the cold, dismal streets as the morning sun broke free of the horizon and a chilled breeze numbed pedestrians. The orange glow of morning splashed over the girl's body, reflecting the warm light off her skin. Bangs, like thick strands of red silk, hung in her face, covering her eyes and the bridge of her petite nose. Her lips parted slightly, producing a quiet whistle as she breathed. Brushed yet untamed, her mane of fiery crimson hair dangled in a ponytail down to the small of her back. She tugged at the cuffs of her purple, long-sleeved shirt, and then dragged her hands along the waistline of her voluminous black trousers.

So much had changed in Nerima since she last walked its streets, and Kimiko felt lost in it. Ucchan's occupied a different building placed on the other side of town, nearer to the Tendou's than it had been before. Large, strangely shaped, bright red fire hydrants peered up at her from both sides of the streets like neon crows watching and waiting for someone to breathe their last breath. Even the concrete paved road felt different under her feet as she trod its streets.

Along with meeting the Tendou twins, Shampoo's presence in Nerima became another welcome surprise. Though the older woman had failed to spare Kimiko even a glimpse, let alone a word, Kimiko could tell that she enjoyed herself working at Ucchan's. The pleasant smile upon her face, her relaxed poise and the ease with which she worked all pointed to the fact that whatever difficulty she had with the Joketsuzoku had long been dealt with.

The knowledge of Shampoo's fate led Kimiko to wonder about how the rest of her friends were doing. So many questions had formed in her head since she arrived in Japan, and very few had been answered. She would do her best to check up on them all, or at least procure some information from the twins.

A loud disturbance from a side alley brought her around, stirring her curiosity. A few shouts and the sound of scuffling echoed towards her. She poked her head around the corner, observing the events. Two young men, surrounded by a half of a dozen others creating a makeshift circle around the two, stood across from each other, trading heated insults.

"That's it!" the taller of the two yelled, his short black hair glistening with sweat. He charged the shorter, whose brown hair was tied in a shoulder-length ponytail. The shorter dodged the attack, causing his opponent to crash into the brick wall that bordered the wide alley's flanks. Virtually unfazed, he took an unsteady step backwards and dusted off his gray shirt and black dress pants. She drew as close as she could by squeezing past one person and the brick wall, putting herself in a better position to judge the two fighters.

Frustrated with the other's lack of response, the taller young man balled his fist and held it out in front of him, straining his neck muscles and causing thick, corded blue veins to pop out. His overweight yet somewhat muscular form bound towards the shorter young man, growling. With his eyes squinting into thin slits, he continued to provoke his opponent.

Kimiko's eyes danced between the two fighters as she witnessed the encounter with increasing interest. Unlike the majority of fights involving unskilled, weak fighters, at least one of the two showed some knowledge of martial arts. The shorter boy, his ponytail swaying from side to side, displayed a catlike grace in his posture, ready to spring at moment's notice. His long bangs, curled over his eyes, shadowed the top portion of his face, though she could easily tell he had a handsome, if not pretty, face. His clothing loosely rippled over his body, not restraining him in the slightest. Though his deceptive movements appeared to be out of fear, they actually were part of an intricate kata that Kimiko had seen somewhere, but she could not place it.

"Get 'im, Shoji-kun! I got my money on you!" the tall brunette in front of her shouted towards the taller fighter who winked in response.

"Prepare to eat pavement, pretty-boy!" Shoji warned, darting at his opponent with his fists flailing. The ponytailed boy danced around the other's attacks, managing to evade every one of Shoji's punches. Leaping away from his irate opponent, he landed softly in front of Kimiko.

Further enraged from his lack of superiority, Shoji shouted, "Stop running, Ryosei!"

"Come on, man!" the ponytailed boy, Ryosei, replied, prancing around the circle away from Shoji. "I don't want to fight you!"

Stoically watching the whole encounter, she patiently awaited the point when Ryosei could no longer flee from the attacks. His solid defensive martial arts abilities were blatantly visible in his stance and form. If his offense were anywhere near as impressive as his defense, the other boy was hopelessly outmatched.

Pushing aside people to stand next to Ryosei, a short girl with long black hair planted herself firmly with her hands pressed to her hips. As her back was turned to Kimiko, her face was not visible, but through her mannerisms she deduced that she had learned at least the basics of martial art forms from the same person as Ryosei.

"Please, stop this!" the short girl pleaded with irritation. "Can't you two talk this out?"

"Shut up, bitch!" Shoji snapped at the girl, walking towards Ryosei. "What's wrongwith you, ponytail boy? Scared?" His taunts began to strike home against the smaller fighter, but the other boy did not act.

"I already said I won't fight you," he calmly told Shoji, the strain of holding back his anger seething in his words. "So, back off!"

"Maybe I'll have to give you some incentive," the enraged boy threatened, turning his back on Ryosei. "We'll get to see how chicken you really are." Approaching the blind spot in Kimiko's vision, he walked towards the girl he had insulted earlier, raising an arm to strike her. Pushing by the tall teenaged girl in front of her, Kimiko's heart beat once as she blurred towards the assault. She vaguely heard someone cry out and another shout as her mind focused on one point and one action, deflecting the descending fist.

"What?!" Shoji shouted in a mixture of shock and outrage. With his full attention now fully upon the redhead, he recoiled his arm, holding his right wrist protectively. "That hurt, wench! You're going to regret that." He backed up slowly, distancing himself from Kimiko and Ryosei. "Masami, Michio, Seiko, get in here, bakas! This girl broke the duel rules. Full combat time."

Shuffling feet and a wave of whispers alerted her to the arrival of three youths breaking through the circle of teenagers. Kimiko's awareness flared as the trio entered the makeshift arena, now enlarged to support the extra fighters. The first, a thin, lithe female with midnight black hair and pretty face save for a horizontal scar along her left eye, wore a pair of loose black slacks and a tight, starched white embroidered shirt as she approached provocatively, accentuating her breasts enough to make even the least bashful people to blush. A deadly, yet poetic, grace saturated her being, reminding Kimiko of the cobra and its hypnotic dance right before its strike. If she guessed correctly, this girl's bite was more than physically intimidating to its victims.

With malice inscribed in his very person, the second, a young man with absolutely none of the sex appeal as the first, smirked. He had short cropped brown hair, smug features and broad shoulders, but he was not as muscular as he was athletic. His sturdy arms protruded from his black sleeveless shirt and his restrictive blue jeans shaped to the form of his legs. His smirk curved into a sinister smile as he neared them, his eyes devouring Kimiko's body in anticipation.

Kimiko cautiously backed herself away to view the third, approaching from the rear. Shadows darkened his features, but she easily made out his neon green shirt, which strongly contrasted his pitch black pants and ebony hair. He moved in quickly, and the three glided in front of their enthusiastic leader, Shoji.

"Oh, damn," the ponytailed boy, Ryosei, moaned as if a sentence of death had been ordained upon him. "Mai, get the hell out of here!" His cry did not go unanswered as the bouncy waitress from Ucchan's that had served Kimiko the night before dashed out of the circle.

"I hope you can fight," he whispered to Kimiko, his body now occupying her left flank. "Because we're now outnumbered two to one. I might be able to take any of them on in single combat, but two at once? That's stretching it."

"I can fight a bit," Kimiko replied with deadly calm as adrenaline began to rushing into her blood. She briefly turned to face the young man, analyzing him one last time and then ordered, "You keep one of them off my back and I'll do the rest. Take out that Shoji character if you can. I'll try to stick to the other three stooges." She eyed the girl who reminded her of a snake. "Don't get cut off from me and stay away from her." Any and all of Ryosei's protests went unheard as adrenaline focused her to the point of her hands and feet. Instinct replaced thought as she fell into a defensive stance.

"I don't think that we've been properly introduced," Shoji said as the quartet grouped, walking towards Kimiko and Ryosei. "This is Seiko Nomiya," he continued, indicating towards the young woman. "Michio Saito," he said, indicated towards the second young man with the homely features. "Masami Iwamoto," he said pointing at the third, who still failed to become completely visible. "And me. I'm Shoji Watanabe. And you. You're dead meat." With his final statement, the whole group rushed, with Shoji and Seiko attacking Ryosei, and Michio and Masami attacking Kimiko.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kimiko noticed the duo attacking Ryosei lance forward, right before the other two approached her menacingly. Michio tentatively attempted to strike first, quickly snapping his foot towards Kimiko, but she easily deflected the kick with minimal movement, sending him spinning around. She would have moved to finish him at that moment, but Masami wisely chose to defend his companion, putting himself between the two.

Kimiko answered his challenge with a blinding sweep, knocking the attacking boy on his back, only to immediately be attacked by Michio once more. This time the ugly boy held nothing back, unleashing a well-practiced and deadly combination of kicks and punches, yet it was entirely too predictable for her. She easily countered, bringing her elbow down hard over his left arm and blasting his left knee with a jarring downward snap kick. Yelping in pain, Michio fell to the concrete.

Her eyes darted towards Ryosei She was glad to see he still was standing, but not surprised that he appeared to be losing, badly. Seiko fired attack upon attack on the defending ponytailed boy, all the while Shoji only attacked when he could blindside him. If she did not help him out within the next thirty seconds, her new ally might actually become dead meat.

"Kimiko Nishiyama, nice to meet you," she said, punctuating her introduction by sending Masami to the street again, landing on his partner. "Learn how to fight and come see me again," she taunted before turning towards the ponytailed boy. "Need help, Ryosei-san?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, as a foot struck his arm. "Help?"

"Hey, viper girl!" Kimiko yelled towards the dark-haired girl, trying to split her attention away from beating up Ryosei. "May I have this dance?"

As Ryosei fell to the concrete in a heap, Seiko twisted to face the redhead with a scowl on her face, emphasizing the light scar on her pale skin. "You will be addressing me as Nomiya-sama in a few moments, whelp," she replied fiercely. Turning her head slightly to address Shoji, she hissed, "I'll handle this bitch. Shoji-kun, you finish off ponytail boy, since he was the one you were after."

"Whatever," Shoji retorted, his anger at being ordered about obvious in his tone.

Cracking her knuckles, Kimiko swiftly dropped to one knee, spinning in a complete circle with her left leg outstretched. Masami once again fell to the concrete, this time not to rise again for another couple hours. With a smug grin firmly planted on Kimiko's face, she initiated combat with Seiko.

Unlike the two that fought Kimiko before her, Seiko's skill was readily practiced, and her flawlessly executed attacks proved it. Like all fighters, though, her flaw stood out like a black sheep for Kimiko and anyone else who peered close enough to see. Seiko's vigorous assault, continued from her last fight, could not be maintained for long, and her defense began to show signs of tiring.

Slipping into a mixed school combination of attacks, Seiko finished a delicate one by slashing with her left foot in a semi-circle, but Kimiko inched back to be missed by millimeters. Kimiko pounced inward, grazing the girl a number of times across the chest and face to finish with one of her increasingly favorite techniques, "Bakufuuken!" The resulting blast sent the girl flying into the fence behind her. She looked stunned by the technique.

Calmly dusting her shirt off, she glanced towards Ryosei who desperately engaged Shoji.

Enough was enough.

"Hey, Shoji," she jeered with a cute voice. "Time to fall unconscious!"

The startled and only able member of the quartet turned to face his fallen comrades with horror. Michio had pulled himself to the side to nurse his jarred, if not broken, limbs. Masami still lay unconscious a few feet from Michio. Seiko, on the other hand, sat dazedly upon her bottom, still stunned from her collision with a brick wall.

His lack of attention gave Ryosei enough time to turn the tables on the leader, but it only took one moment and one technique to finish him. The ponytailed boy's hands blurred towards his opponent, producing a cried yelp and a body falling to the floor.

"A hundred and fifteen," Kimiko whispered to herself, nodding with approval. She only had one question now: where had he learned the Chestnut Fist technique?

"Bastard," Ryosei scoffed, spitting on Shoji. He weakly rested his hands on his hips, but he began to lose his balance.

"Careful now," Kimiko whispered, supporting the ponytailed boy with her right arm. "You didn't do half bad against those two, but they got you pretty good anyway." She smiled at him. "By the way, I'm Kimiko Nishiyama."

"Ryosei O-" A jarring cough cut off his words violently. "We have to get out of here before Shoji or one of his goons gets help. I-"

"Put a sock in it, will you?" Kimiko rudely interrupted. "I can hardly make out what you're saying, so concentrate on staying alive and conscious."

"All right," he muttered, resting his arm around her shoulder unsteadily. "If you help me to Ucchan's, I'll buy you breakfast."

"Sure, no sweat. I have plenty of time to burn."

"Are you okay, brother?" a small voice inquired from the boy's right flank, startling both of the fighters. Kimiko, still supporting Ryosei with her arm, turned to face the young waitress. Though moments ago she had been in a state of panic, a lucid calm permeated the girl now. "Thank you for helping my brother, miss. He gets in over his head, sometimes."

"Hey!" Ryosei interjected, wearily trying to stand without aid. "I did not get in over my head. I could have handled Shoji by myself any day. Even so, I wanted to avoid a fight if I could, but it sort of just exploded. And Mai, I didn't expect for him to attack you. I'm sorry about that, and for getting Kimiko involved in this, too."

"Don't apologize," the offended redhead told him. "I never back down from a fight. Especially when it gives me the chance to beat up jerks who deserve a good butt kicking." Her lips curved into a sinuous grin. Scanning the area briefly, she noticed that Seiko had escaped, though her companions still lay flat across the concrete. "I think you're right, Ryosei-san. Let's get out of here before more show up."

The other two nodded and Mai went around to support the ponytailed boy's other shoulder. At first he refused their combined help, but after he nearly fell again, he ceased his protestations and rested his arms around their shoulders. They rushed out of the alley, heading in the direction of Ucchan's.

"Thanks for saving my sister," the ponytailed boy said as he limped with the two girls' support. "She could have been injured if not for your interference."

"Thanks, I guess," Mai replied, unsure of herself. "I could have avoided Shoji's weak attack, Ryosei. I may not be as good as you, but I could have taken him. Thanks for jumping in, though, Nishiyama-san. Four of them is a lot."

"It was nothing," Kimiko replied bashfully. "They had it coming."

"Hey!" the waitress cried out in sudden realization. "You're Kenichi and Mayako's friend from last night, aren't you?" Kimiko nodded in response. "I thought you looked familiar!"

"Any friend of Kenichi or Mayako Tendou is most definitely a friend of mine," Ryosei told her solemnly. "Now you must tell me where you learned how to fight. Those were some of the better fighters in Nerima, and you probably could have taken them all on by yourself!"

"My father taught me for a while," she answered softly. "He was a very good teacher. Now my brother is training me, and he is an excellent fighter. He makes me look like an amateur."

"Cool," Ryosei whispered. "If he's even half as good as you, he'd be more than an excellent fighter."

"Thanks," Kimiko said unsteadily. "Hey look, we're almost there."

* * *

"What'll it be, girls?" Ryosei asked, leaning over the sparkling clean counter, winking playfully. A cheeky smile planted firmly on his face as the cute redhead's eyes scanned the menu thoughtfully. "Might I recommend the special? I make it exceptionally well, if I do say so myself."

"I'll have two," Mai ordered, returning his smile. "And maybe a third later on, since you're so good at making them."

"Same for me," Kimiko said, holding out the menu for him, which he gently took. "For starters."

Taking another appraising glance at the well-built martial artist, Ryosei grinned as his hands blurred as raw ingredients quickly became okinomiyaki. The pain in his arms had already receded and in less than two minutes flat, so he broke his concentration to pay attention to the blaze of a girl in front of him. Pulling a stool up from behind the counter, he placed it across from his sister and Kimiko and sat.

"So," he began, gazing into Kimiko's eyes. "You live around here?"

"Nope," she replied solemnly, returning the stare as if a challenge. "I'm only in town for a little bit."

"No?" he asked again, nervously adjusting his posture on his seat. "Not too far away, I hope."

"Unfortunately, it's quite far," she disclosed. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," he lied, suddenly finding the ground very interesting. Winning the brawl in the alley would have later consequences, and facing them alone did not sound too promising. If only she would be here long enough to...

"Ryosei, the food," Mai blurted, interrupting his thoughts.

Returning to reality, he turned off the grill and flipped the fresh okonomiyakis onto three different plates, which he slid to the girls after separating one for himself.

Sitting back on his stool, he watched as the two females started to eat, both in drastic contrast of one another. His sister was anything but a dainty eater and she finished her plate of food before he did on many occasions, but she barely was comparable to Kimiko. Not quite shoveling but close enough, the redhead attacked her food with a vengeance, polishing off one before Ryosei had a chance to even pull off a piece with his chopsticks.

Quietly grinning, he dug into his food, still watching Kimiko out of the corner of his eye. Though slightly overcooked, the pancakes still tasted delicious. He knew that he would have to make the two girls seconds, or even thirds.

"That hit the spot," his sister told him affectionately.

"Mmm hmm!" Kimiko agreed with her mouth was still full. "Very tasty."

He smiled grimly, placing his hands upon the counter of the bar.

"I'm guessing that you'll both want more," he said as he began to prepare another round of okonomiyakis. "Same as last time?"

"Actually, I've gotta get going," Kimiko told him with regret as she stood up from her stool at the bar. "Thanks for the meal, Ryosei...?"

"Ono. Ryosei Ono."

"Maybe we'll see each other again, Ryosei Ono," she whispered as she quietly padded towards the door of the restaurant. "It was nice seeing you too, Mai. Later!"

"Bye!" his sister shouted over her shoulder at the departing girl. She turned to him before he could put the ingredients away and said, "I'll take a couple more specials, Ryo-chan." He quietly made clear his dislike for the nickname with a glare.

"Why should I?" he returned as he began to prepare more of the pancakes for his sister and himself, the small spatulas in his hands blurring with the magic of cooking.

"Because I'm hungry and you're the cook," she answered, resting her elbows on the bar.

"I was really only making them for Kimiko," he joked, flipping the prepared pancakes onto the grill.

"Hey, what does she have that I don't?"

Silently turning to her, he smiled at his little sister. "Nothing other than that she's a potential girlfriend. You're both too cute to compare to each other."

"Tee hee," she giggled, beaming under the compliment.

Too cute was by far an understatement, he thought, drifting in a sea of thoughts.

* * *

Ono. So, Shampoo married Dr. Tofu. That, most certainly, was something to think about. Shampoo Ono. Without thinking about Kasumi, they probably could make a cute couple, though she never thought that it could possibly happen. Last thing she remembered, Shampoo had left for China with no plans of returning, while Dr. Tofu was still obviously in love with Kasumi. Kimiko was just thanking the heavens that Cologne had yet to make an appearance.

Retracing the steps she and the twins had taken from Ucchan's the night before, the rest of her trip was fortunately uneventful, though the free meal and light workout had not been bad. She figured it was probably still a good three or four hours until noon, so there was no reason to hurry. The sun rose enough to be seen over the roofs of houses and in between them, shining warm rays of light upon her skin.

Since she had arrived here, her luck had been stellar. From meeting the twins in a chance encounter, to meeting Shampoo's children in another, not to mention free food, she wondered what could there be to possibly make it any better. Of course, all she would have to do is see Ryouga, and her cheerful attitude would be ruined, but that had been placed in the farthest reaches of her mind. She wanted revenge, but everything was turning out so well in her short visit here, that she subconsciously wanted nothing to spoil it.

Evaluating the Tendou twins were next on Kimiko to-do list. She planned to spar with them to find out if they could handle even half of her ability. Considering that her father, Soun and Shampoo all seemed to be good friends now, their training had probably been excellent training from birth. She doubted that she could learn much from them, but it would be nice to spar against someone and actually win for a change. Kiyoshi's dominance over her in the arena was entirely too belittling.

Unfortunately, she would have to be very careful not to show her total ability and definitely hide her near-mastery of the Anything-Goes style. She would have to stick to a few schools rather than her whole repertoire of techniques. Hapkido, Aikido and Jujitsu, which were all very good defensive schools, would work for starters. They included many throws, blocks and grapples with limited kicks and very few punches. That would certainly be a drastic change from her norm, and she might actually improve from the experience.

Arriving at the gates to the Tendou residence, she heard children shouting from within. Opening the gates cautiously, she stepped through the gates but was promptly stopped by a small child, who slammed into her legs with, full force.

"Huh?" she said, picking up the small girl, no more than five years old, and setting her on her feet. "You okay?"

"Yes," the little girl answered, scampering off to go and bother someone else.

She began to walk in farther when someone addressed her. "Can I help you, miss?" The voice sounded slightly different and had a motherly tone to it, yet it was very familiar to the redhead. She could feel her heart began to beat quicker while she opened her eyes wide and turned to see Akane, much different from how she remembered her, yet so much the same. Her hair had regained its long length and she seemed to stand taller than before, but it might have just been Kimiko's shorter height. Her smile radiated with the same warmth Kasumi had when Kimiko stayed with the Tendou's, and she was dressed in a casual sunflower dress with a yellow, wide-brim gardening hat.

"Y-yeah," Kimiko stuttered weakly, coughing to cover the shakiness in her voice. "I'm here to meet Mayako and Kenichi Tendou. I'm Kimiko Nishiyama." Taking deep, slow breaths, she managed to get control of her nerves before she did something stupid, like running up to Akane and pulling her into a bear-hug.

"Oh, Kenichi-chan told me about you," Akane told the redhead warmly, though her attention was absorbed entirely by the children scampering about the yard. "I'm their mother, Akane Tendou. It is good to meet you, Nishiyama-san."

Forcing herself to smile, she grieved the loss of yet another of her dreams. Akane had birthed children...children not conceived out of their love, but from her love for another. The last remains of her hope to be with the raven-haired woman melted, crushed it like a rose between the pages of a book, sweet in memory, but now nothing more than a dried up flower husk.

Though her heart ached with loss, she was happy to see that Akane had done well for herself in the intervening years. Her mischievous smile seemed to have been replaced with a more maternal one, but Kimiko's heart, upon receiving it, skipped a beat. Facing reality, the dreams of a fated reunion with her soul-mate turned out to be exactly what they were: the romantic fantasies of a teenaged...girl.

The challenge of forging a new relationship with Akane lay before her, and whether close or not, the mistakes that she had made in the past as Ranma, she would not repeat as Kimiko. The need to remain near and protect her love still permeated her soul, though the role she would play in Akane's life would be forever changed.

Kimiko bowed, quickly wiping a tear from her eye so that the older woman would not notice.

"They're in the dojo sparring," Akane told the redhead. "If you want, I can have one of the kids take you to it."

"That's okay, Tendou-san," she replied. "I already know where it is." She started walking around the back.

"Please, call me Akane, and you can go through the house, dear." After that, she turned and left to manage the energetic children running around.

"Thank you, Akane-san. It was nice to meet you."

She entered the house quietly, walking through and finding the entrance to the dojo. As she approached, sounds of combat were audible from within. She heard two voices conversing as they fought.

"Ha ha!" one of them cried in triumph. "I got you now!"

Upon entering the dojo, Kimiko witnessed Mayako complete a swift spin kick, leveling her brother to the mat. Ken quickly snapped to his feet, prepared for Mayako's next assault, while Kimiko walked to the edge of the mat and sat cross-legged.

Mayako became a blur of motion as she attacked her brother from every possible angle, one move seamlessly flowing into the next. Though he managed to deflect the majority of her attacks, many slipped through, striking him hard. Much to Kimiko's amazement, he bounced to his feet again, standing in a defensive posture.

"You call those punches?" he taunted, looking a little worse than he sounded but well enough to continue. "Eiji can hit harder than that!"

"You've really been training while I was gone!" Maya exclaimed, quite out of breath. "Dad?"

"Yeah," he replied. "He freaking hits hard."

"I believe it," she responded.

Clearing her throat loud enough to gain their attention, Kimiko smiled as they nearly jumped in surprise. The shock of her presence turned to delight when they recognized her.

"Kim-chan!" Mayako cried out. "When did you get here?" She then walked over to the redhead, sitting down in front of her, followed by her brother.

"Just a few minutes ago," she told them. "You two are really something." The awe in her voice was not false. Mayako's sheer speed and Ken's durability took a great deal of training to achieve, and could rarely be achieved at so young an age. Something about their styles seemed familiar to the redhead, but she could not pinpoint exactly what it was.

"Thanks," Ken said, a little embarrassed. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm fine," she told him, smiling. "I've been looking forward to sparring with you two." She grabbed her duffel bag from her side and stood up. "Where can I change?"

"Right over there," Mayako said, pointing towards a door in one of the corners of the dojo. Apparently, the Tendou's had a locker room installed on each side of the dojo, one for male students and the other for females complete with showers.

Kimiko entered the women's locker room. It was actually quite spacious with a few over ten lockers on each wall, a bench running around their length. She smiled and randomly picked a spot, dropping her bag to the floor. Taking off her shirt, she tugged it over her head and dropped it on top of her bag.

Mayako walked in the next second, causing the redhead to blush. "Don't mind me," she told Kimiko. Walking to a nearby locker, she opened it and removed a towel, drying her face. "I forgot to ask what style you use."

"Whatever I'm taught," Kimiko replied, removing her trousers a little bit shyly. She pulled her white gi out of the duffel bag and quickly slipped into the pants and top.

"Same here," Mayako agreed, shutting her locker.

Shadowing Mayako, Kimiko stepped out onto the mat, starting her stretches. Her mind began to aimlessly wander as she mechanically fell into the forms of her warm up exercises. Mayako's earlier performance suggested that she at least knew the basics of the Chestnut Fist, if not the complete technique. She could have easily defeated Kimiko when she had first arrived at the Tendou's residence nearly twenty years ago. Ken, on the other hand, might have been a better match for her at the time. His incredible show of durability hinted towards breaking point training that Ryouga and Shampoo had been put through. He took more strikes than Kimiko, herself, could take without becoming severely hindered. The twins would be good training for her skill, provided they both attacked her at once.

Upon completing her stretches, she fluently began a simple jujitsu kata that her father had taught her a few weeks after her sixth birthday. The first few tries, she had been unable to perform all of the moves without pause, but several days later she was able to complete it flawlessly. The learning of this kata held special meaning for her. While it was not the first she had learned, it was the first she learned quickly. It seemed to symbolize her ability to learn anything within the realm of martial arts in a very short amount of time. From that day on, everything her father had shown her, she quickly mastered.

"Who wants to spar with me first?" she asked as she finished the kata.

"I will," Mayako offered, walking to the center of the mat.

Meeting the girl's challenge, Kimiko stood opposite of Mayako. After they bowed, each took a stance that would reflect their approach to the fight. Mayako quickly fell into a modified kempo stance, the majority of her weight balanced upon her front leg which suggested a plan to take an early offensive. Kimiko eased into a simple, defensive Hapkido stance, her right hand cupped upwards along her belt and her left palm open and parallel to her body, more weight distributed to her back leg. She chose that particular stance because it afforded her a stronger defense with minimal movements. The simple swinging of her hips would gain enough momentum for a spin kick or a series of blocks.

"Hope you're ready," Mayako warned, right before she threw herself at the redhead.

Casually blocking Mayako's strikes, Kimiko easily maintained her position while analyzing the other girl's strategy. Noticing the decrease of speed from Mayako's earlier fight with Kenichi and the missed target locations, she judged that the opening had been a subtle test of her defensive capabilities. Camouflaging her superior ability by shrewdly matching Mayako's skill, she allowed a few strikes to slip through, harmlessly falling a few millimeters short of her body. Nimbly dodging and blocking the next combination of punches and kicks, she paid close attention to the other girl's rhythm, but rather than finding a pattern she observed an impressive string of seemingly random attacks.

* * *

Feigning a slap, Mayako harnessed her momentum, swinging her leg around in a powerful spin kick, but completely missed, sending her off balance. Recovering from her failed maneuver, she tried to continue her as-yet unchallenged offensive, but a strong strike to her left shoulder stole her intended trajectory. She tumbled diagonally away from Kimiko and quickly bounced to her feet.

Exploiting the time before their melee continued, Mayako attempted to analyze Kimiko's amazingly deceptive defenses. At first look, she had assumed the redhead's only knowledge sprouted from primitive American self-defense classes in combination with some Korean Hapkido, but probing them proved otherwise. She simply failed to recognize half of the defenses that Kimiko employed, and the other half were so incredibly modified that she could only guess the original school. Kimiko must have had a decent amount of experience in live combat, or at least an excellent teacher and sparring partner.

Smiling with increased enthusiasm, she reinitiated combat, and this time she would hold back absolutely nothing.

In a furious barrage of attacks, Mayako combined her attacks in a cunning fashion that she invented herself. Despite her previous confidence in the combo, Kimiko blocked or dodged one after nother, either unable to retaliate or hoping to tire her. Mayako certainly hoped that it was the former, because her limbs began to quickly tire attacking at her current pace. The redhead moved after her last one, chopping at Mayako's exposed arm before she could pull it back. Mayako could only fall back to get prevent herself from receiving a welt on her arm.

After springing away to avoid Kimiko's subtle counter, Mayako reversed her trajectory and leaped at her opponent, who had not followed in pursuit. She raised her foot in a flying jump kick, but met nothing but air. Landing in the position the girl had occupied a second ago, Mayako blinked in surprise, unable to locate the girl who had been in front of her a split second ago. She spun to try and prevent the inevitable attack, but collapsed after a brief a pirouette, when Kimiko's sweep took her legs out from under her. Her body slammed backwards into the soft padding of the floor mat

The sudden contact with the ground caused her to cough loudly, expelling all the air in her lungs as she instinctively roll to the side, and then bounced up to her feet. Unfortunately, Kimiko gave her no time to prepare a defense for her attack.

Barely ducking under a sickeningly quick kick, Mayako blocked two more punches before being struck across the arms and chest. The pain minimal, she turned the tables on the redhead, dropping her defenses and going all out in a suicide counterattack, crying out, "Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!"

* * *

Kimiko had everything well underhand, up until Mayako's arms burst into a deluge of energy, channeling her chi into a very impressive Chestnut Fist. Leaping backwards into a flip, the redhead gracefully landed away from the range of the Chinese special technique. Her opponent not only knew the basics of it, but the full fledged attack and that impressed her immensely. To pluck a chestnut from an open flame was no easy task and she could adamantly testify to that.

Raising her arms to resume her guard, she noted the torn sleeves of her gi top. Frowning slightly, she decided to end this battle before someone became injured.

Since Mayako appeared simply exhausted, Kimiko lightly sprang towards her. Deceptively leaving herself open to any form of a low strike, she struck out at the tired girl, surprised to find her defenses still remaining strong. When Mayako countered with a string of sloppy punches, Kimiko caught one over-extended arm and literally tossed her across the dojo, narrowly missing the far wall.

Landing on her feet but obviously winded, Mayako put her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. "I give," she coughed, too winded to continue.

Distantly, she heard Ken's enthusiastic applause, but her mind actively replayed her recently completed battle. Aside from her active countering, the images sickly reminded her of the miserable, rainy day in her stormy past. The relief Akane felt after she realized that the redhead was a girl and their quick melee in the dojo flashed, striking pain in her heart. Those were days she would give anything for, but those were days long past.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" Ken asked, his voice piercing her train of thought.

"Both my father and brother," she answered truthfully, turning to face the boy. "They were good teachers."

"I bet," Mayako mused, unceremoniously dropping to the edge of the mat.

"Are you hurt?" Ken blurted, gently taking hold of Kimiko's arms. "Your sleeves are shredded!"

She passively watched him as he carefully checked her arms for injuries, his concern very blatant. He slowly turned them over, passing his hand over the surface of her skin. Staring at him with increasing curiosity, she felt her heart skip a beat when he turned to smile at her. His eyes...Akane's eyes...

"You're lucky," he whispered to her, releasing his light grasp. "Maya!" he scolded, turning to his sister. "You could've hurt her using the Chestnut Fist like that!"

"I kinda got carried away," Mayako admitted sheepishly, dropping onto her side. "I'm really sorry, Kim."

"It's nothing," the redhead replied quickly, examining the damage to her sleeves.

"I have a spare gi in my locker if you want to have it," Mayako offered, her eyes slowly sliding shut.

"Nah," she shrugged, tugging at her right sleeve. "Who needs these anyway?" With a sharp yank, the shredded cotton fell to the floor. After ripping the left sleeve from the gi, she turned to Ken again. "You ready to spar, Ken?"

Pushing everything but the upcoming fight into her subconscious, Kimiko squared off across from her new opponent. Likewise, she observed the mirth on his face fade into a serious appearance of concentration. In contrast with his sister's small, petite frame, he loomed nearly a half-foot above Kimiko with his muscular arms relaxed at his sides and broad shoulders held back.

Mayako's evident proficiency in Anything-Goes showed her to be a very dangerous opponent, resorting to a deadly special technique when obviously outmatched. Though his earlier spar with his sister made it quite clear that his style did not match hers, he could very well have any number of similar techniques in the arsenal of his mind. Even in friendly combat, the urge to draw upon that power could overwhelm sensibilities, as it had with Mayako. To prevent being caught off guard, Kimiko needed to stay wary.

Ken formally bowed, his eyes never straying from her, and she returned it in similar fashion. He drew himself back like a bow, as if nocking an arrow into place. Appreciating his unique stance, she fell into hers by simply leaning forwards on her front leg as if preparing for a race, which, in her opinion, it was.

With a barely audible battle cry, Kimiko lunged, launching herself at the young man, who was obviously unprepared for her incredibly quick opening. Absorbing her jump kick with his chest, his counter took the redhead by surprise. Weaving through his deluge of punches, she began her offensive, ripping through his almost non-existent defense and blasting him with an open-hand palm strike to the chest, and a few quick snap kicks to his thighs. Ending her combination as he stumbled away from her, she dropped low and stepped into him, swinging her right leg around her body. Absorbing the brunt of her spin kick, he brought his right arm up, minimizing the concussion.

He grinned at her as he regained the offensive, utilizing her recovery time from the kick. As he completely abandoned his defense, he attacked hard, tearing through her blocks with the strength of ten men. Her eyes opened wide with shock, yet she managed to dodge his blows, relying on her superior speed to avoid harm.

She began to find herself anticipating his blows as they continued their spar, and something about his style seemed infuriatingly familiar, though she had yet to put a name or face to it. Remembering a few weaknesses of his art, she had to admit that his strength and durability thoroughly made up for the areas he lacked, though he was far from being in her class.

Cautiously maneuvering within his reach, she caught his right arm as it recoiled and hip-tossed him over, causing him to roll out and quickly bounce to his feet. Easily defending herself from each of his renewed, powerful attacks, she realized that if but one of his punches hit her with full force, she would probably be down and unconscious. He, too, most likely knew as much, as his tactics suggested.

With a quick counter, Kimiko pummeled Ken across his chest stumbling backwards with the force. In an attempt to finish the battle, she swept his legs and tried to pin him, but he quickly rolled out of her reach to stand face to face again. His attack began anew, though with less vigor than before. She noted that his form became sloppier as they continued their dance of combat, their test of skill.

As she easily defended his newest offensive, she slid under his attack and struck a series of pressure points along his right thigh. Ken leapt back to avoid any further attacks but landed squarely on his bottom without the support of his right leg. She darted to his prone figure, pinning his body to the mat.

"You give?" she asked smugly, grinning down at him.

"What if I say no?" he questioned playfully, returning the grin.

"I'd throw you across the room and ask you again."

"Okay, you win," he said, admitting defeat. He struggled for a moment, but she did not release him. "Um, are you going to get off?"

She considered it for a moment and shrugged. "See if you can throw me off."

"If you two want to make out, I'll leave," Mayako teased from across the dojo. "You might want to rent a cheap motel room while you're at it."

Turning bright red, Kimiko released her grip on him and rolled backwards onto her feet. Quickly sitting, Ken dusted himself off and turned his head away from them in an attempt to hide his equally crimson cheeks.

Mayako strode up to Kimiko, placing her right hand on the redhead's left shoulder.

"That was simply amazing, Kim," she praised, beaming. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

Kimiko turned to face Mayako and paused. "My brother and father taught me most of what I know," she honestly told her, weakly returning the girl's smile. "Where'd you learn that technique you used to shred my sleeves?"

Shying her head bashfully, Mayako replied, "Auntie Shampoo taught me it. I'm sorry again about that; I really wasn't thinking when I used it."

"It's no problem," she said, rubbing her bare arms. "Interesting practice, if anything."

"Yeah," Mayako said sheepishly.

"Whew," Ken sighed, standing from his fallen position. "Whatever you did to my leg just wore off. That was crazy. So, how'd you beat us down so easy?"

"I'm just familiar with your style, that's all," Kimiko said modestly. "When I saw you two sparring earlier, I guessed how you would fight so I just did the opposite."

"Well, I'm thoroughly beaten," Kenichi admitted. "Call it a day?"

"Sure," Mayako said. "I think I'm going to kick back for the rest of the day. Reiko and Mai said they were coming over. You're welcome to hang with us, Kim-chan."

"Sounds fine with me," she replied, following Mayako into the locker room.

* * *

Ken watched them exit before entering the locker room himself. He was still marveled by Kimiko's surprising ability. She had beaten him very easily and she had even tried to hide most of it. Her style was so bizarre that he had to wonder if that was how she fought normally. Against Mayako she was so defensive, allowing punches to miss her by millimeters and sliding through her offense, and when she fought him she moved in close and decked him without a second thought. She exploited both of their weaknesses and she did it so effortlessly, not even breaking a sweat.

He did not find it as strange as he found it exciting. Not only was she amazingly beautiful, but her fighting style matched her hair color. She blazed across both him and his sister with so much more hidden ability yet to be seen. He wondered just how good she really was, but he figured it would be best not to find out fighting her. She moved with the grace of a cat and though she did not seem to have much physical strength, she definitely made up for it with speed and sheer skill. She had used his power against him.

He smiled, taking off his gi top, the air caressing his body and cooling him down. He heard the showers from the other locker room turn on. Trying to keep his mind out of the gutter, he quickly stripped down and grabbed his clean clothes, placing them on the bench and his sweaty gi in his locker.

Grabbing a towel, he walked into the shower room and turned on one of the shower heads. While the water began to warm, he put his head under. Shivering, he rinsed himself in the startling cold water. As it began to warm he heard laughter echoing from the girl's locker room.

As he was just about to exit the lukewarm water, it suddenly got very hot and he yelped in pain, leaping away from it. The giggling from the other side made him scowl. Mayako had probably turned on the cold water to purposely burn him. She always loved to pull childish pranks on him.

He toweled himself down and quickly put on his clothes before his sister decided to jump in on him unexpectedly, which she tended to do constantly just to embarrass him. He fished a comb out of his locker and quickly brushed his hair back, replacing the item afterward.

* * *

While exiting the locker room, anxiety started to get the better of him. Chewing on his thumbnail nervously, he became eager to see Kimiko again and sat down. He calmly reflected on their quick spar as something kept nagging in the back of his mind. He remembered her saying, "I'm just familiar with your style, that's all." He wondered how that was possible if she lived in the States, and he noted to himself to ask his grandfather about it later.

He turned his head, watching his sister skip out of the women's locker room and straight towards him, the mischievous grin on her face spelling trouble. She plopped herself down in front of him, motioning for him to sit, which he did after rolling his eyes.

"What?" he grumpily mumbled to her, his tolerance for her games having been spent.

"Wanna know something about Kimiko?" she asked him.

Curious to learn anything about her, he shrugged and said, "Sure."

"Her red hair is natural," she told him, her grin widening. The devious tones of her voice mimicked the times when she would tell sick jokes she had learned from school.

"How would you..." he trailed off, comprehending the meaning of her words. His face instantly turned bright red, narrowing his eyes with anger. "Maya!" he scolded. "Some things..." he tried to say, but she cut him off.

"...are better left to find out for yourself?" she interrupted, beginning to giggle.

"Yeah! I m-mean, n-no!" he stuttered.

"Her breasts are real," she whispered between giggles. "She wears at least a size C cup too!"

He gritted teeth, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Shut up!" he growled, before somersaulting backwards and rolling onto his feet. She deliberately said that to unsettle him, and she never failed. He pressed his cold hands to his cheeks in an attempt to cool them.

"Cool down, bro," she said, standing up. "I was just kidding with you. You're way too sensitive." She folded her arms under her breasts, poorly attempting to stifle her laughter.

"I don't think you're funny," he told her seriously.

"You have no sense of humor," she responded. "Don't stop sulking, though. It makes you look so cute!"

He grumbled something unintelligible and turned his back to her in an attempt to ignore her.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Kimiko apologized, exiting the locker room.

"It's no problem," he replied, turning to face her. While her bangs covered her eyes, her damp red hair hung loose from its braid, dangling well past her shoulders. She wore the clothes she had arrived with, loose-fitting black pants and a light purple, long-sleeved shirt, completely unbuttoned and failing to cover the top of her gray sports bra and a considerable amount of cleavage.

"Mind if I leave my duffel bag here?" Kimiko asked them.

"Not at all," he responded warmly. "Either of you hungry?"

"Nah," his sister replied, as she exited the dojo. "I'm going to go call the girls. You make us some food, okay?" She giggled one last time before leaving Kimiko and him alone.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked Kimiko, who was busy buttoning her shirt. "Kim-chan?"

"Whatever is fine," she cheerfully told him. "I ate before I arrived, but there's always room for more." She smiled at him and put her hands in her pockets, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Let's go to the kitchen," he said, waving for her to join him. "There should be some food left in the fridge."

While trying to tuck in her shirt, Kimiko trudged after Kenichi as he slowly walked out of the dojo. After he slid the door to the house open, she followed him through, staying within a few feet of him. Until she managed to collect her thoughts, the last person she wanted to see was Akane and with any luck, she would not need to do so if she kept on Kenichi's heels.

They entered the kitchen where he opened the refrigerator and rummaged through it, procuring a plastic container.

"How about some leftover ramen from last night's take out?" he offered, removing the cover. Sniffing it curiously, he said, "Still smells fine."

"Sure," she replied, standing behind him.

He placed the container on the counter in front of her and turned to face the cupboards. Retrieving three bowls and three pairs of chopsticks, he set them down. Opening the refrigerator again, he removed a small bottle of soy sauce.

"Go ahead and sit in the dining room," he told her while filling a teapot. "I'll fix lunch for us."

Calmly exiting the kitchen, Kimiko found a spot along the dinner table and sat, folding her legs. The sliding door to the backyard was closed, but the happy cries of children at play sounded through its thin covering. Light also filtered through it, warming the room to a comfortable temperature.

One strange thing that had been nagging Kimiko since she woke from her coma was the oddly cool temperatures during the summer. Though she knew little of what happened in the past eighteen years, she did clearly recall summers being warm in Tokyo. Instead, the cold, windy days and the even colder nights greeted her upon arrival. This slight change made her old home even less welcoming.

"Here," Kenichi said, placing a bowl full of ramen noodles in front of her. "I'll leave the Tupperware out just in case you want more." Sticking a pair of chopsticks into her bowl, he smiled and dropped beside her with an ungraceful flop. Placing a bowl in front and across from himself, he produced the bottle of soy sauce and poured a bit over his noodles. "Want some?"

"Sure," she replied taking the bottle, dabbing some in hers.

Slurping up the tasty noodles, her mind began to drift when the door to the backyard slid open, revealing a small boy of no more than seven years of age. His brown eyes were lit with delight as he skipped towards the couple. Dressed in a small white gi, the child smiled, radiating joy and the innocence of youth. Kimiko's brows rose with interest when she noticed that he did not wear his black hair short, but rather it ended with a proportionately medium-length pigtail.

"Ken!" he cried out, scrambling around the table to wrap himself around Kenichi's waist. "Let's spar! Please, please, please!"

Trying to disentangle himself from the boy, Kenichi said, "Eiji-chan, why don't you go bother someone else?"

"No!" Eiji whined, strengthening his grip. "You promised last night that you would! You did, you did, you did!"

"Ahh, come on, little bro," Kenichi cooed. "We can spar later. We have company right now."

Distracted from his original plight, the pigtailed boy released his older brother and turned to Kimiko as if noticing her for the first time. His frown curved into a smile and he averted his eyes from hers.

"Hi," he greeted bashfully, grasping his hands behind his back.

Smiling warmly, she replied, "I'm Kimiko Nishiyama. What's your name?"

"Eiji Tendou," he whispered tentatively. He brought his head up and held out both of his hands, all fingers extended with his right and only his index finger with his left. "I'm six!"

"Are you, now?" she said, swinging her legs around to face him. "That's pretty old." Her eyes ran up and down the six year old and she smiled. "So, you're a martial artist?"

"Yep!" he replied enthusiastically, casting aside his shyness. "I can beat anybody! Are you one too? Like Maya?"

"Yes," she answered. "But, I bet you're better than me. Look at those muscles!" Feigning awe, she pointed at his biceps, which he energetically flexed. "You're much too strong for me."

Bursting into a fit of giggles, Eiji leapt and placed himself between Kenichi and Kimiko, dragging them closer by grasping each of their arms.

"Are you Ken's girlfriend?" he asked bluntly, resting his right shoulder against his brother. "Or are you Maya's friend?"

"I'm both of their friends," she replied evenly, missing the embarrassed look on Kenichi's face. "You want to be my friend, too?"

"Uh-huh," he muttered, nodding vigorously. "You're my best friend!" He sat upright and leaned to his left, resting his head on Kimiko.

Cutting in, Ken said, "I thought Shintaro was your best friend, Eiji."

"He's my best friend, too!"

The two teenagers chuckled and continued eating. After a few minutes of inactivity, Eiji jumped up, said his good-byes and fled out the door to join his peers in the yard. They then continued solemnly eating their food, an eerie silence looming over them. Kimiko felt it seep into her, as if it was the truth of her fate, but she was unable to deny it any longer.

"So he's your little brother," Kimiko stated between mouthfuls.

"Yeah," Ken replied, twirling his chopsticks in the ramen. "He can be a pest at times, but he's usually a pretty mild kid."

"No more than one can wish for," Kimiko sighed quietly after finishing the last of her noodles. She lethargically drooped her head slightly, appearing as if she was exhausted, but her fatigue was not of the body.

"Hmm?" Kenichi muttered, his mouth full of ramen.

"Nothing," she said, putting her elbows on the table and resting her head in her hands. Her eyelids slid shut and she began to massage her temples.

"You okay?" he asked with concern.

"Sure, I'm fine," she replied sarcastically, but low enough to hide her tone.

As the knowledge of current events had begun unfold before her, she had thought herself to be ready for the harshest realities, but thinking and experiencing were two entirely different matters. One could only imagine the depths of hell for so much effect, but plummeting through its layers of torture and pain would make everything before the descent nothing more than a distant, fond memory. In her plunge, its dark recesses were becoming increasingly visible.

Here she was, sitting at the Tendou's dining room table and eating with Akane's son, and yet she was not home. Where did her home, her center, her heart, lie? The Tendou home, which she imagined nearly every day while stranded in the United States no longer felt welcome. It may have affected some less than others, but for Kimiko, who had never known any other location as hers, it was devastating.

The purpose for her side-trip here seemed to have been lost amongst the confusion of her dilemma. Absolutely nothing held her back from hastily exiting the Tendou residence, to flee from the agony she had been subjected to, yet she stayed.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she looked around, noticing that Kenichi had left the table. From the kitchen, she heard him shuffling within the cupboards.

"Want some tea?" he asked from inside the kitchen.

"Sure," she replied, trying not to raise her voice too much.

He re-entered the dining room, carrying a pot of tea and three mugs. Sitting down next to her, he placed the cups on the table, filled them with the steaming hot tea and pushed one in front of her.

"So," she began, in hopes to spark a conversation. "Where's your dad? I haven't seen him around."

"He's on a training trip," he replied, unenthusiastically. "He goes on them a lot." Hardly discernible venom resonated from within his nonchalant tone. If it implied the contempt he held for his father, the unknown man might be comparable to hers, but unless he threw Kenichi into a pit of starving cats, the chances seemed unlikely. If that were the case, he could hardly be considered the right choice as a husband for Akane. Kimiko noted it for later when Kenichi asked, "What else do you like to do, besides martial arts?"

"Not a whole lot," she told him. "Besides working out and training?" He nodded. "Most sports are okay, besides stupid ones like golf. I haven't seen many, but I do like movies. Not much else."

"Besides art and martial arts, I don't do much either," he responded, sipping his tea. "With school and my job, I don't have time for anything else, really. And when soccer season hits, I rarely find time for martial arts."

Blowing on her steaming cup of tea, she replied, "What kind of art?"

"Sketching mainly," he answered. "I do a little painting too."

"You any good?"

"I guess," he replied, shrugging. "Can't really judge my own work."

"Oh," she muttered, testing the temperature of her tea with a sip. "You'll have to show me some time."

"Okay," he weakly said. "You said you came here with your brother? What's he like?"

"Tall," she replied, grinning. "Really tall. He makes me look like a sprite." Kenichi laughed out loud and started choking. After slapping his back a few times, she continued, "He's definitely a weird guy."

"How do you mean?"

"I don't know," she responded. "He's the world's nicest, most charming and likable person, yet he doesn't know a thing about people. He certainly tries, though. When we were younger, he was totally different than he is now, which is very good, because he used to be a total social degenerate. Don't tell 'im I told you that, though."

Chuckling, Ken nodded, placing his cup in front of him. "So, he's a pretty cool guy who tries to help but ends up bungling the whole mess?"

"For the most part," she agreed. "If it wasn't for him, I probably would've..." She cut herself short in mid-sentence, silently cursing herself.

"Probably would have what?" he questioned with sober curiosity. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

"Fine, fine," she retorted. "I just would have been a lot worse off without him. He's a great guy, if a little over-protective at times."

"Oh," he whispered, turning as Mayako strode into the dining room.

The girl wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a long-sleeved navy blue sweatshirt, tucked into her pants. Her neatly brushed, black hair hung loosely at her back, swaying as she gracefully strolled towards them. The bemused expression on her face concluded her current humor, which never really seemed to change.

"You two save any for me?" Mayako asked as she sat on Kimiko's left side.

"Yeah," Kenichi told her, sliding the Tupperware container across the table to her.

"Mai has to work today, but cousin Reiko said she'd be right over," Mayako told them, grabbing an empty bowl and filling it with ramen. "You'll love Rei-chan, Kimiko. She's a real sweetheart, just like her mom." She globbed a pile of soy sauce over the noodles in her bowl, proceeding to slurp them up at an alarming rate. Stopping for a moment she turned and addressed Kenichi. "Where's Uncle Mousse anyway? He still on concert?"

"Yeah," he replied. "He's in Sapporo now, I think."

"Uncle Mousse?" Kimiko asked, her shock hidden within a veil of curiosity.

"Pretty weird name, eh?" Mayako said between slurps. "He came from the same Chinese village as Shampoo. Both of their names being hair care products in Japanese is purely coincidence, or so he tells us."

"What did you mean by 'on concert'?" the confused redhead questioned.

"He's the lead singer in a rock band," Kenichi answered, straightening his slouch. "Ever heard of 'The Sightless'?"

"Nuh-uh," she replied sincerely, still digesting the 'Uncle Mousse' part. Unless Nabiki had overtaken a complete psychological and personality change, the mother of Reiko, whom Mayako had referred to as a 'sweatheart', would have to be Kasumi. The last two decades certainly had enough surprises hidden within them to keep Kimiko on her toes for another two. At least she discovered this information prior to her reunion with the couples in question; otherwise, she might have made a fool of herself.

"I have all of his albums in my room, if you want to listen to them in a few," Mayako offered, letting her chopsticks clatter into her empty bowl. "They're an older band, but really good."

"Sure," Kimiko accepted curiously. "I have lots of time to kill." She stood as Kenichi gathered the used dishes, carrying them into the kitchen.

"I'll meet you up there, Mayako," he said as he disappeared from sight.

"Okay," she replied as she stood, grabbing Kimiko's left hand. "Come on."

* * *

Switching the globe light on with her free hand, Mayako entered her room, pulling Kimiko in with her. "Get comfortable," she told the redhead, releasing her hand. Concentrating upon the task at hand, she casually strolled up to her stereo and punched in a combination of numbers on a small, brightly lit keypad along its side. Something shifting from within was heard, followed by an audible thud.

"Artist, The Sightless; Album, Renegade," a deep, male voice echoed, surrounding them.

"What was that?" Kimiko questioned from behind her.

"Huh? What?" Mayako asked, twisting around to look at her.

"Was that the stereo?"

"Yeah," she answered, facing the object in front of her again. "I don't have enough cash for a voice activated one, so I gotta settle for digital voice. Too bad my remote broke." Pressing the keypad again, she hit enter and listened to the stereo as it initialized itself. "I have bad luck with this thing, but it gets the job done. Sounds good, too."

"Um, Maya?"

"Huh?" she said, turning around. "What is now?"

"I think there's something under your bed," Kimiko replied, sliding off the bed and onto her feet. "It's moving around."

As Kimiko backed away, Mayako curiously prostrated herself and lifted the bed sheet to view the underside of her mattress. Though no light shined, she could vaguely make out someone's small form underneath.

"Eiji-chan!" she scolded, dragging the small boy out from under her bed. His black hair was in a disarray, appearing if he had just woken up. His puffy red, wide eyes seemed to cry out with innocence and frustration. Tears streaked down his cheeks as his quiet sobs rocked his chest. Speaking softer yet remaining firm, she asked him, "What are you doing in my room?"

Eiji lifted his head while drying his eyes. "I'm sorry, Maya!" he cried, pouting. "I got lost and when I tried to find mommy, I got stuck in that dark place. I was scared."

"Oh, Eiji-baka," Mayako sighed, pulling her little brother into a hug. "It's okay. You're safe here with me and Kimiko, now. I'll show you out to mom, all right?"

"No," he whispered, sniffling. Swinging violently, his miniature pigtail crashed against the side of his head as he turned to look at the silent redhead. "I want Kimiko to take me! She's my best friend!"

Releasing the child, Mayako pressed the palm of her right hand onto her forehead, shaking her head and as he darted towards her new friend. Kneeling, Kimiko turned him around and deftly lifted him over her head, resting him on her back. She stood grasping his legs under his knees, lifting him with her ascent. With the glee on his face visible, his head peered over her shoulder.

"Yay!" Eiji squealed in delight, wrapping his arms around the redhead's neck.

"You sure that it's okay?" Mayako asked of the girl, standing level with her.

"Yeah," she replied, freeing one of her hands to ruffle Eiji's hair. "I know the way."

"All right," Mayako accepted, resting her hands on her hips. "I'll get this ready while you take that baka to my mom. You've met her already, right?"

"Sure have," she answered, poking Eiji's side which produced an squeaky giggle. "I'll be right back."

Watching Kimiko exit the room with Eiji securely resting on her back, Mayako pondered the present situations for a moment. Her brother's obvious crush for Kimiko gave Mayako enough motive to look at her critically, since Kenichi hardly had any experience with relationships. His blatant attempts at flirting, so far, had gone unanswered from what she had seen, but the girl did appear to have mild interest in him. With a bit of help, she probably would be able to at least give Kenichi a chance of a dating Kimiko before the China expedition.

Something had been preying upon Mayako's good cheer since she met Kimiko at Ucchan's the night before. While they ate, Kimiko had subtly eluded quite a number of questions directed at her while eliciting answers for everyone one of hers. During their walk home, Mayako had noticed the conflict within her, though her brother had passed it off as fatigue when she talked to him later. That pieced together with her wretched emotional state of their first meeting, in Mayako's mind, implied that someone had or was seriously hurting the girl.

Kenichi's entrance drew her attention and she returned to programming her dysfunctional stereo.

"Where's Kimiko going?" her brother asked, haphazardly tossing himself onto her bed. "She taking Eiji somewhere?"

"He got lost again and she's taking him to Mom," she replied, snarling at the machine. "You fix this stupid thing, Ken. I can't get it to work."

"Okay," he replied, standing to aid her.

* * *

While balancing Eiji precariously on her back and speeding down the staircase to appease the child, Kimiko leapt down the remaining half of the stairs to the pigtailed boy's utter delight. After turning a corner and carefully dashing through the hall, she slid to a halt at the door to the backyard. She slid it open with her right foot, producing another giggle from the child.

"The Kimiko express is at its destination," she told him, kneeling.

"Again, again, again!" he happily requested with zeal as his feet touched the floor. "That was fun!"

"Maybe later, Eiji-chan," she whispered to him, as he rounded to face her.

"Okay," he conceded with a cute pout. His face twisted into a broad grin and he fiercely whispered, "I love you," throwing his arms around her waist with the vigorous strength a child should not possess.

"Uhf!" she moaned as he squeezed the air from her lungs. "I love you too, Eiji, but if you squeeze me any harder, you're going to break me in half!"

Giggling, he released her. "Sorry, Kimiko," he replied sheepishly. "You promise to give me another piggy-back ride?"

"Okay," she promised. "And if you're good, it will be much longer, too. But you have to obey your brother, sister and mother when they want you to do something, okay?"

"Okay!" he said, bouncing on his heels. "Bye-bye!" Sliding the door open, he attempted to run through, but she caught his arm.

"Take my hand, and I'll take you to your mommy," she told him, sliding her hand down his arm to take his small hand. Leading him through the door and into the yard, she cautiously treaded the grounds, keeping her eyes open for Akane.

* * *

With Nanaki-chan gently cradled in her arms, Akane sighed in relief as she continued to rock in the chair. Putting that child to sleep took a startling amount of effort; she was always so curious and would start to cry if she was placed in a bed. Of course, all she had to do was rock while held in someone's arms for a half-hour and the child would wink out like a light bulb.

Playing with the baby's tiny, delicate hands, Akane sighed again. She was eager to have another child of her own, but that was hardly possible without her husband's presence. Watching other people's children eased her maternal needs well, but it was only satisfied for a bit. She kissed the child's small forehead, smiling.

"Akane-san?"

Looking up she noticed the delightful young girl, Kimiko, leading her youngest son towards her.

"Mommy!" the little boy cried out, disturbing the child held in her arms. He quieted himself when Kimiko placed a finger to her lips and shushed him. There was something about that girl...

"Hello, Eiji-chan," she greeted her son, beaming towards him. "Did you get lost again?"

"Yes, mommy," he whispered bashfully, putting his hands in his pockets and staring at his bare feet. "My new best friend, Kimiko, led me back, though! Mommy, this is Kimiko. Kimiko, this is Mommy."

The girl self-consciously whispered her greeting, clasping her hands behind her back, looking aside. Granting each a happy smile, Akane quietly examined Kimiko. Odd, not many had such an exotic hair color...nearly crimson. When they had first met upon the girl's entrance into their yard, she failed to notice the abnormal brightness of the girl's hair. She unconsciously caressed the small, metal locket that lay between her breasts with her forefingers and the thumb of her free hand, remembering long-past images. Anyone with remotely red hair caused such a similar reaction, but Kimiko's was definitely brighter than any she had seen in a long time, a surreal blaze of fiery hues.

"Good afternoon, dear," she replied thoughtfully. Gesturing towards the small, plastic table to her right, she asked, "Would you care for some tea?"

"No thank you, Akane-san," she answered reluctantly. "I had better be getting back to Mayako."

Carefully rising, Akane requested, "Please stay for a moment, Kimiko. There's something I need to ask of you."

She looked as if she would speak in protest, but Kimiko nodded anyway, approaching the raven-haired mother. Akane drew in a shocked gasp with the girl's advance. Cast away from her, the redhead's beautiful blue eyes blinked once and sent a wave nausea through her.

"Yes, Akane-san?" Kimiko asked, turning to stare into her eyes.

Suppressing the unease within herself, Akane faced the girl. "Could you hold Nanaki-chan here for a moment while I use the restroom? She doesn't like not being held for too long, and I'm afraid I might take too much time. Oh, and make sure none of the kids kill each other."

"Of course," Kimiko answered, holding out her arms as Akane rested the bundle in them. "Take all the time you need."

"Thank you, dear," she whispered, casually crossing the patio towards the entrance of the house. Not even turning once as she entered, her slow walk turned into a dash, carrying her across the living room, down the hall and into the bathroom. Pressing her hands to her chest, she tried to calm herself. While her teeth chattered and her heart threatened to beat out of her chest, she quietly sobbed and fell to her knees.

"Oh, Ranma," she whispered inaudibly as tears slid down her cheeks, unhindered. Propping herself on up and resting her bottom on the hard floor tiles, she reached around the back of her neck and unhooked the light golden chain, catching the small locket as it slid down, towards her lap from its resting place. She snapped it open for the first time in nearly five years, looking between the two faces pictured in it. On the left, the handsome features of a proud young man reflected back, stirring dormant emotions from their precarious cage. To the right, the beautiful eyes of a shy young woman returned the stare, her cautious smile igniting fond and painful memories alike.

The differences of the two were more than startling, yet they were still very much the same. Locks of brilliant red hair cascaded across the girl's shoulders while dark black hair lay tightly wound into a pigtail on the boy's. Her face was much more delicate and petite, as opposed to his roughened features. But one thing remained constant, their brilliant sapphire eyes.

Shutting the small locket, Akane clasped it to her heart with her right hand, sliding her eyes shut. Slowing her breath, she pressed her hands back through her hair, proceeding to straighten it. Binding the locket around her neck, she gently stood and lifted a dry towel to dab her eyes.

"Pull yourself together, girl," she whispered to herself softly, preparing to head back outside. She could no longer hide herself from her fear of the past and the endless sorrow accompanying it. It was past time to find out the truth.

* * *

"I'll take her," a tranquil voice told Kimiko as the speaker approached her silently from behind. Twisting in her stance, she peered over her shoulder at Akane padding across the wooden patio calmly. Disguising her surprise with a smile, she turned to the raven-haired woman and held the small child out to her.

"Thank you for watching the children," Akane said, smiling warmly. "Are you sure you don't want some tea?"

"I am, Akane-san," she replied, bowing her head.

"Well, maybe we can talk some other time, then," Akane said faintly, paying her attention to the baby now cradled gently in her arms.

"Goodbye," she whispered, backpedaling towards the house. Without taking her eyes from the elder woman, she watched her begin to coo to the sleeping baby with a soothing melody that she had never heard, but that was hardly surprising considering no one ever sang her to sleep as a child. Kimiko had never really known that Akane liked children so much, though there were probably instances that she could not remember. Everything was a surprise to her, the...girl who missed nearly twenty years of her life.

Quickly bounding up the stairs, she reached Mayako's room without much effort and entered like a wraith, hardly even stirring the air. She observed the room as she slid through soundlessly. Both of the twins faced away from her with their attention paid to the project in front of them, the uncovered stereo.

"Close the door behind you, Kim?" Kenichi asked without turning to see her, though his sister looked up, startled by her presence in the room. She slid the door shut with her right foot and mutely took a seat on the far side of Mayako's bed. She watched them curiously as they fished around in the open stereo, twisting screws and adjusting wires.

"I think I got it," Mayako muttered, biting her lip in concentration. She leaned over further, blocking Kenichi's view.

"Last time you said that, you electrocuted me," Kenichi complained, taking a few steps back to sit on the edge of his sister's bed, folding his hands in his lap. "Careful."

"Yeah, yeah," she returned, lifting her head back to flash them a grin. She then placed the screwdriver she had been using onto the desk and slid the cover of the stereo back to its original position. "That should do it."

"If it blows up, it's your fault," he teased, sticking his tongue out at her.

"And I suppose that if it works, it's because you helped, right?" she quipped, returning the gesture while thumbing her eye.

"Of course!" he replied vehemently, smiling broadly. He slid himself across the bed towards Kimiko, making room for his sister to sit. "Which songs you going to play?"

"Um," Mayako hummed thoughtfully. "'Misbegotten Love' and then 'The Fight You Can't Win'."

"Sounds like a plan, so play them already."

Plopping down on the edge of her bed, Mayako pressed a combination of buttons on the keypad, being rewarded with the faint sound of humming from various points scattered around her room.

"For someone who's too cheap to pay for a decent stereo system, she sure bought expensive speakers," Kenichi taunted, turning to Kimiko with a smile.

"Oh, shut up," his sister whispered as the first notes of the song began to play.

Opening with a symphony of what she recognized to be violins, the song began joyfully to Kimiko's ears, sounding of one person's unadulterated love and commitment for another, trial after trial overcome for the other. The violins slowly faded, dying into the passions which they had been born. A few words were spoken in English, emphasized by the reverberations of a slow arising drum beat. It was no more than an echo at first but it gained volume and clarity with each passing moment, driving a stake of warmth into her heart. Pain-felt words flowed, picking up their pace and further accompanied by soft, sweet guitar rhythms, echoing through her head as much as the room.

Clear for the first time, she recognized the voice, one which she had never heard used in such a manner. Life, love, anger and sorrow all poured from the melody, lining Kimiko's mind with the confusion of being, adding his own heartfelt tears to hers. The beautiful lyrics caressed her ears, reached for her hand and took a hold of her soul. With a balance of light, darkness and humanity, she stared at nothing and felt everything. Though an eternity it might have been, the rhythm died, as the violins had earlier, in a slow pyramid of pain, for the singer, his significant other and Kimiko, the listener.

"Wow," she murmured with astonishment, regaining her senses from the magic Mousse had cast upon her. She wiped a sheet of sweat from her forehead with the back of her wrist, realizing her surroundings once more. "That was amazing."

"Yeah, wasn't it?" Mayako agreed, smiling serenely. While adjusting her collar, she stated, "The next one is a little more upbeat. It's not nearly as deep, but I like it just the same." Ken only offered a warm smile and a nod.

Kimiko pulled herself upright against the wall adjacent to Mayako's bed, clutching her knees to her chest. She closed her eyes as the next song began abruptly, a severe change from the gradual opening of the first. Sharp yet harmonic chords rang through the room, producing a quick, desperate rhythm, all of which was accompanied by a seemingly random drum beat. Just as abruptly, the singer opened with his first vocals, repeating one line in English, "You can't win," which sounded like nothing more than a feral snarl.

Ending suddenly, the song ceased to play, but it had yet to finish. One guitar picked up the misplaced energy, twisting the original tune with a slower tempo. The vocals began anew, singing of an unbeatable enemy and a fate worse than death.

"You fight the just fight, but you can't wi-in!  
You fight the fight you know is right, but you can't wi-in!  
You fight against the tide of fate, but you can't wi-in!  
You can't win!  
No my friend, You can't win!"

Immediately, the song returned to its original rhythm, repeating, "You can't win," once more, like a burst of adrenaline, an explosion, the hand closing around them and blocking out the light. Searing fire added to the mix, scorching the remains. And once more, it ceased, returning to the solo, sardonic guitar and the melodic vocals.

You challenge the sea, unready for what will be!  
You raise your fist to the sky, and hope you don't die!  
You beat your chest, and pray to God to be blessed;  
But to challenge the sea, you will cease to be;  
As the desert of lust rends you with its dust!

The rest of the instruments began playing, steadying the tempo, a combination of the two. The vocals continued with a bittersweet finale,

"You knew you weren't strong enough,  
Yet you still continued on,  
You knew you faced not but defeat,  
Yet you still continued on.

It's the end of road for you my friend;  
Your journey has come to a bitter end.  
When your pride's gone,  
Eternal light blinds you.  
There's nothing left to fight,  
Without the sense of your sight.

When your blame turns into shame  
And there's no one left to frame.  
It's time to concede this game,  
When your heart goes up in flame.

You fight the just fight,  
But you can't wi-in!  
You fight the fight you know is right,  
But you can't wi-in!  
You fight against the tide of fate,  
But you can't wi-in!  
You can't wi-in  
No my friend, You can't wi-in!"

With the last words of the song uttered, all music ended abruptly. A ringing was left in her ears from the silence and the echo of the word 'win.' Divided by a random misgiving of thoughts, she opened her eyes and spied over at the twins, both lying against the wall. Kenichi appeared to be thinking seriously, staring towards the door. Mayako rested her head against the wall, with her eyes closed and her expression peaceful.

Breaking the silence, Mayako said, "I'm going to call up Reiko and see if she's still coming over," to which Kenichi nodded and slid to the edge of the bed. Lifting the phone receiver from its resting place, she pressed a button and placed it to her head. "Hello, Auntie, is Reiko still there, or is she coming over?" She paused. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, good-bye." She placed the receiver back on its hook, allowing Ken to sit back against the wall again. "She should be here any moment."

"Is she going to stay the night?" Kenichi asked, resting his chin in his hands.

"Uh-huh, and Mai is coming over later to spend the night also," she replied softly. "Why don't you hook up your vidie in here for later? I'll clear some room."

"Okay," he agreed, shifting himself to stand. He stole a quick glimpse of Kimiko before slowly trudging across the room to head out the door.

His strange manner prompted Kimiko to ask, "Need any help?" Smiling, Kenichi turned on his heels and nodded enthusiastically. "Just show me to your room."

"Okay," he replied, waving for her to follow him. "There's something I want to show you, too." His trot quickened, nearly leaving her behind.

"What is it?" she asked after him, leaping across the room to catch him. "Wait, what do you want to show me?"

"You'll see," he replied mysteriously.

She followed him to Akane's room, but he hesitated at the doorway for a moment. He turned his head to face her and said, "Don't mind the mess." Light shed into his room as she walked in after him.

Pausing long enough to take in his room, she gaped in amazement at the artwork that not only hung along the walls, but actually adorned one. The wall to her left lay bare, displaying a mural drawn with resplendent colors, a splash of nature in a world of cold machinery. Divided in half by severe contrast, the left portion of the mural burned with brilliant life and unrelenting love, while the right spoke of a bleak future with commodification of life and Armageddon becoming horrible realities.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Kenichi asked, drawing her attention from the pastiche she had been viewing, to which she nodded. "I just got inspiration and had to draw it. Mom was pretty upset with me, saying I defaced her old room or something. Parents never understand." She turned from the art work, observing him as he stood on the black comforter on his darkly shaded bed. "Give me a hand with this, Kim?"

"What do you want me to do?" she asked as she approached him.

"Jump up on my bed and grab the other side of the vidie," he replied, pointing to the one end of a large cylindrical object with the misgiving appearance of a rolled up scroll, hanging on the ceiling above him. She stepped onto the opposite side of his bed and reached to grab the right end. "Just catch it when I hit the release button." A moment after he said the last, it fell into her grasp.

"Carry this out to Maya's room?" she asked, resting the screen on her side.

"Yeah," he answered, hefting the end that he held to his waist.

* * *

End the first half of MLC1. I'll post the second half tomorrow or the next when I have some time.


	3. Part One: The Unexpected (2 of 2)

******Misery Loves Company**  
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Part One: The Unexpected  
(2 of 2)

A single drop of coffee, the sole remains of someone's early morning pick-me-up, laid still in its over-turned, Styrofoam cup along the concrete sidewalks of Nerima. It rolled along, carried by the afternoon breeze. It continued on its path until a teenage girl crushed it underfoot. The wind picked up moments later, giving the morning a decidedly uncomfortable chill.

Pasted to the girl's thin knees, a modest blue skirt rippled like a flag in the wind, exposing her ankles to the bright morning sun. Had her long, brown hair had not been bound tightly in a bun behind her head, the breeze would have lifted it and scattered every entirely too neat brust stroke into a chaotic mess. Light reflected off her thin elfin features as she wrapped her arms around her waist in obvious discomfort from the cold weather, despite the extra layer underneath her sky blue blouse. Her brown eyes blinked once before she lifted her soft heeled shoes off the cup.

Bending over, the brunette picked up the destroyed container and dropped it into a nearby trash can. Her thoughts immediately shifted from her the vehement dislike of litter bugs back to her normally tranquil contemplation. Saving the world from pollution could wait yet another day, as it had centuries before her.

After quickening her pace in the last stretch of her trip, she arrived at her destination. Staring up at her family's name written in Kanji on the sign above the gates elicited a certain measure of comfort, as she walked toward them. Out of the wind, Reiko Tendou blew hot air into her palms and then massaged them until she reached the her grandfather's home. She was about to knock when she noticed her cousin, Eiji, currently homing in on her position like an out of heat seeking missile. She caught him mid-stride, lifting his small body up into a hug.

He wiggled and made little noises of struggle as she held him. With a giggle, she squeezed him one last time and placed him back on the ground.

"Hello, Eiji-chan. Is Mayako around?" she whispered to him, rubbing his head.

Nodding vigorously, the little boy answered, "She's in her room with my new best friend, Kimi-neetama!"

Kimi-neetama? The childish honorific notwithstanding, the boy was already enamored with the redhead. She blinked for a moment, and then excused the little boy.

"Thank you, honey," she replied, patting his head warmly. "Why don't you go play with your friends now. And don't give your momma any grief!"

"Yes, Rei-neetama!" he answered dutifully, giggling as he scampered off into a random direction. She shook her head in amusement before continuing on her track across the long brick path to the house.

"Wait for me!" a shrill voice cried out from behind her, causing her to spin on her heels. Mai Ono bound across the courtyard from the gate, holding her skirt down with one hand, and clasping the other to pushing her red blouse down to keep from sliding up. The sight of the girl, dressed improperly for both a run and the weather produced a chuckle from her older friend.

"I came – as fast – as I could," Mai managed to spit out between gasps.

"There was no need to rush, Mai-chan," Reiko told her friend calmly. Pointing to the immodest condition of her apparel, she told the girl, "You had time to at least dressed properly."

"But I..." the girl started to protest, "I was anxious to see Kenichi-kun's new friend again." Finally wearing her clothing properly, she caught her breath and awaited Reiko's move.

"Honestly," Reiko reprimanded. "You'd think that she was leaving for China today instead of next week."

"She's going to China?" Mai delightedly squealed, bouncing on her heels. "That's so cool. I wish I could take time off for that kinda stuff."

"Don't we all," the brunette replied, knocking the door to her grandfather's house.

"You've met her already?" Mai said, both awe and jealousy in her voice. "Lucky..."

She gently opened the door, taking her first steps in before motioning Mai to follow.

* * *

A strained shudder momentarily shook Kimiko's body as the icy cold water splashed across her face. Dabbing the face cloth to dry her wet skin, her eyes locked to her image, gazing back with a haunted stare. Those sapphire blue orbs set in the lightly tanned face, the beautifully feminine face; those were her eyes, and no magic would take them from her. With her teeth clenched almost painfully, she glared in return, as if to scare the image.

Things were not supposed to be like this. This should be her household; these children should be hers; and most of all, Akane was supposed to have been her wife. She had gone over the scenario within her head countless times, each time clearly recognizing the slim chances to regain the past, her only wish. And each time she held onto hope too tightly until it became the truth, until it became more than hope, more than a fantasy.

Of course, what goes up must come down, and in a gigantic downward spiral, her plans and hope plummeted into the dry earth. There could be no hope in the face of such opposition, the likes of which had overthrown dictators, dynasties and countries. No one could hope to fight time and win...no matter how hard one tried. Kimiko would keep trying, though. Some time, somewhere, there had to be someone calling her name, waiting for her safe return with open arms and an open heart, ready to love her for who she was and who she would be. No one would stop her from at least accomplishing that much, and she would win. She always won, in the end.

Accurately tossing the wash cloth into the hamper, Kimiko lightly slapped herself, regaining her mental poise. Nothing good would come of looking like the emotional wreck she had seemed to become in recent times, confidence evading her more often than not. Sliding the door to the outer bath open, she treaded through to the bathroom door and opened it, exiting.

Her first surprise upon entering Mayako's room was that the twins had finished setting up their own private theater, bean bag chairs and all; the second was that all but one bean bag was full, with total of five set out in a circle.

"Hello," she murmured hesitant about entering and imposing herself. The two seated not facing her turned in their chairs. The first, the young waitress from Ucchan's Mai Ono, affectionately smiled back. The second, a very shapely brunette, peered inquisitively in return.

"This is Kimiko Nishiyama," Mayako spoke, tearing their immediate attention from the redhead. "And this is Reiko Tendou, my cousin, and I believe you already know Mai." The latter was met with two nods. Pointing to the only empty chair between Kenichi and Reiko, she said, "You can take that seat, Kim."

Quietly padding across the floor to take her seat, Kimiko silently listened as the others continued their conversation.

"As I was saying before," Mayako began. "If Noriko and Makiko would stop whining about how unfair playing defense every time is, then we could get down to business and win games. They're usually too busy sulking to stop the ball."

"Well, I agree with you there, Maya-chan," Reiko replied with her very low, feminine voice. "But, it really isn't fair that they have to play it every time."

"But they aren't good for anything else," Mayako protested, crossing her arms under her breasts. "If they could run quicker, I'd gladly trade positions with them every now and again."

"Somehow, I doubt that, Maya," Mai quietly said, giggling at the twin's expense. "They'll stop whining when the season starts again. They did last year."

"Last year they weren't on the Varsity team, though," Mayako said. "We play to win, not to placate babies."

Drawing Kimiko's attention from their argument, she turned to face Kenichi after he tapped her shoulder once.

"You looked zoned out," he pointed out, leaning towards her. "They're just talking about the upcoming soccer season. All four of us were chosen to lead the Furinkan Varsity Soccer team, since we stomped all competition last year. You play soccer at all?"

"A bit in school," she answered slowly. "What position do you play?"

"Goalie," he replied, shrugging. "I'm not fast, but I'm good defending the net. It's not the most exciting thing, but Mayako bullied me into it. It makes her happy, so I'm okay with it."

"A man of many talents," she said with a bit of envy, exposing a bit more jealousy than she wished, but he did not seem to notice.

"So, did you do anything else in school? Sports, instrument, anything?"

Bashfully lowering her head, she replied, "Not really."

"I got it!" Mayako declared, breaking their conversation. With everyone's attention centered upon her, she continued, "Let's play truth or dare!"

Both Reiko and Mai replied positively, but Kenichi adamantly voice his opposition. "No way. That's just your excuse to get me into a dare to kiss someone or ask me something completely embarrassing. I'm not going to do it."

"Ah, come on, bro," she whined, pouting. "If you play, I promise that I won't make you kiss someone if you accept a dare. Please!" With three girls staring at him, he grudgingly gave in with a hesitant nod.

"You in, Kim?" Reiko asked while seeming to stare through her, into her soul. Kimiko nervously nodded, though she had no idea how the game was played. They converged their circle, drawing their bean bags closer to each other.

"Great," Mayako replied, grinning deviously. She turned to Mai on her left and asked, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare!" the part-time waitress answered vigorously.

"I dare you to..." she began, thinking deeply. A grin flashed upon her face as she ordered, "I dare you to kiss Kenichi!"

"Hey!" the startled boy exclaimed, glaring at his sister. "I thought you said you weren't going to make me kiss anyone!"

"I said I wouldn't make you kiss anyone, but I didn't say that I wouldn't make anyone kiss you!" she retorted smugly, sticking her tongue out at the boy. Smirking, met Kenichi's stare until he rolled his eyes and drooped his shoulders in defeat.

Kimiko watched quizzically as the other two of the three girls broke into giggles, while Mai pushed herself into a sitting position with her face burning bright crimson. Tentatively pitching herself forward, the girl crawled over to Kenichi, his expressions unreadable as he indifferently awaited her kiss. Mai leaned over him, meekly pecking his lips with hers and quickly withdrawing back to her chair. Kimiko observed Mai as she demurely stared at Kenichi, a bit of disappointment surfacing before she turned to face Reiko on her left.

"Truth or dare?" she asked the brunette weakly.

"Dare," Reiko replied evenly, her manner mimicking a serious poker player's.

"I dare you to kiss Mayako!" Mai ordered her, grinning with glee. "For at least five seconds on her lips!"

"Muhaha!" Kenichi abruptly laughed, nearly choking. "Revenge is sweet, isn't it, sis?"

"Yack it up," Mayako replied, frowning. "Get this over with, Rei-chan." Reiko obliged her by crawling to the twin. With her head tilted slightly, she leaned over her muttering cousin and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace, kissing the startled girl. "Mmph!" Falling over backwards, Mayako pulled Reiko with her.

"Ahaha!" Kenichi barked out, falling onto his side as the two girls disentangled themselves from each other. "Oh man, I wish I had a recorder with me! That was classic!"

"Shut up," Mayako snapped at her brother, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "That was gross."

"You bit my tongue," Reiko complained as she scooted back to her chair, causing Kenichi to renew his laughter tenfold. Mai, no longer able to hold back, burst into uncontrollable giggles, and she stuffed her head between her legs to hide it. The innocent smile on Reiko's face did not change for a moment.

"Well," Mayako began piously. "Only you two are laughing so it couldn't have been that funny."

"My turn to ask," Reiko interrupted, waiting until she had everyone's attention. Turning to the silent redhead, she asked, "Truth or dare, Kimiko?"

Realizing that she still stared with shock, mouth agape, Kimiko tried to regain her focus. "I'm still tripping over Mai's dare," she told them, eliciting a few bubbled giggles. "I'll go with a truth." As Reiko began to consider her question, Kimiko silently wished to take back her words. She figured that being forced to kiss someone could not be any worse than being bound to tell something excessively embarrassing, or potentially hazardous, but it was a little late to change.

"Tell us about your first kiss," the brunette said calmly, resting her head in her hands. "And don't leave out a single juicy detail." Her mouth curved in a smile as she placidly awaited Kimiko's answer.

The knot in her gut twisted, leaving her to nervously prepare her answer. Pulling her precarious, at best, memories together in some semblance of order. After thoroughly grilling her brain, her eyes lit up as she recalled the moment of her first kiss. The next moment, she felt ready to throw up; it had been with Mikado Sanzanin.

"It really wasn't much to talk about," she replied in a poor attempt to avoid the question.

"Come on, Kim," Mayako whined, forming her mouth in a small pout. "Don't leave us high and dry!"

"We won't tell anyone, Kimiko," Mai promised, reassuring her with an honest smile.

"All right," she unwillingly replied, sighing into her folded arms. "I was ice skating with a really good friend and she was showing me how, because I was terrible at that time. She kinda got side tracked and let go of me, and I lost my balance and started sliding out of control towards the barrier of the rink. I was ready to smack into it, when this guy swept me off my feet, literally."

"Oh," Reiko whispered delightedly, dreamily staring at the redhead. "That's so romantic. Did he kiss you right there?"

"Nah," Kimiko answered, still displeased with herself for allowing the playboy to kiss her. She still vividly remembered the shock as their lips touched and the repulsion, thereafter. "After he helped me regain my balance, he did some maneuvers with his partner." Her eyes darted around the group, noting their differing expressions. Kenichi appeared thoughtful with his brows slanted and his lips pursed, almost as if conflicted with a choice. Mai had laid herself out on her stomach, resting her upper body on the bean bag, staring at the wall with a silly expression on her face. Reiko still sat cross-legged, smiling serenely at her. "So the jerk comes back after he's done showing off, picks me up - I was losing my balance again - and kisses me while I'm not ready."

"Was he cute?" Mayako asked bluntly.

"He was one of those pretty boys," Kimiko said, fighting her growing urge to scream in frustration. "You know, the type with dozens of girlfriends."

"At least he was cute," the Mai said coyly.

"If I was there, I would have pounded him for you," Kenichi told her sincerely.

"I can take care of myself, Kenichi-kun," she curtly replied. "In fact, afterward, I challenged him and won. They had to carry him out in a stretcher."

* * *

Mayako grinned ominously, nodding her head in respect to the explosive and charming redheaded girl. Kimiko would definitely make a great friend, sharing the same ideals as she did. With that and Kenichi's sincere interest in her, it was truly a shame that she would be leaving within the week. Giggling as Kimiko finished her description of her first kiss, Mayako looked over to her love sick brother, studying him intently. His unfeigned interest and genuine concern for the redhead struck her as strange, but pleasantly so.

The emotional angst Kimiko had expressed while narrating her story touched Mayako. From her insistence of swearing lack of interest in the young man, Mayako realized that for her to recall such an event in front of near strangers must have been harder than anyone else knew. In every girl's life, the first kiss is a special event and for it to be wasted on a boy with no class, such as the one she described, must have hurt.

"It's Kenichi-chan's turn," Reiko reminded the group, gently nudging Kimiko. "You get to ask."

Turning to the suddenly distraught teenage boy, Kimiko grinned and asked him, "Truth or dare?"

Kenichi thoughtfully returned her gaze, straightening his posture. His wide brown eyes blinked once before he answered, "Dare."

"Oh, so bold," Mayako teased but failed to receive any response. She knew he meant business. "I can lend you some suggestions, if you need, Kimikio-chan."

"No, thank you, Maya," Kimiko replied evenly, smiling. "I thought of something." Addressing the male twin, she stated, "I dare you to wear Mayako's nightgown for the rest of the evening and to sleep. You can change in the morning."

The other three girls all erupted into laughter, leaving Kenichi to stare in shock.

"Wear her night gown? All night?" he asked with dread. "That's no fair." He shook his head with disdain, folding his arms around his sides in defiance. "No way."

"But Kenichi," Mayako insisted, readying her arsenal of taunts. "If you're not man enough to wear a nightgown, just say so and Kimiko can think of another for you to do." Hoping she had pressed the right buttons, she watched his shock turn to mild anger.

"What does wearing a nightgown have to do with being a man?" he demanded.

"If you can't do something simple like that," she said, "Then you can't be considered very manly, now can you?"

"Yeah, whatever," he replied caustically, rolling his eyes. His lips curved into a slight frown and his brows arched with frustration. "I'm still not gonna do it."

Speaking as Mayako opened her mouth in preparation for a retort, Kimiko asked, "How about just until you go to bed?" Her sultry, provocative voice, echoing with amusement while not implying any mocking, caused Mayako to turn to her face the girl with new respect. Kenichi stopped sulking as he turned to her also with his lips parted slightly and the tension from his face disintegrated. He was barely able to nod his assent.

"Great," Mayako piped, quickly standing and rushing to her dresser. "I have just the thing! It'll look so cute on you, Kenichi-chan." Sliding open the bottom drawer of her dresser, she procured a garment that she had refused to wear but stashed it away to not hurt her Aunt Kasumi's feelings. Bright pink down to the lacy trim, the silk nightgown was probably very comfortable, but the animals colored in a bright, hideous yellow completely ruined the whole item. Unfolding the horribly cute nightgown, she tossed it to her brother. It did not help that she hated the color pink. "There."

"Oh man," the horrified young man whispered. "You know, I get to ask you next, Mayako. I thought of something really nice that you can tell us if you say truth and something horrible if you say dare. Either way, you will pay for this one."

"Where'd you get that from, Maya?" Mai asked curiously. "That thing is just plain ugly!"

"Probably my mom," Reiko answered, biting her lip. "She thinks all girls under the age of eighteen like lacy stuff with plenty of animals and bright colors. I bet it's comfortable though, Kenichi-kun."

"Like that makes it okay," he replied, holding the offending object in front of him. "Oh well, a dare's a dare." Lifting his shirt from its bottom, he quickly pulled it over his head and tossed it aside. "Turn around; this isn't a peep show." Politely turning away, Mayako and the three girls shared snickers as Kenichi shifted into his new apparel behind them.

"Can we look?" Mai asked impatiently.

"Okay," Kenichi sighed, prompting all four girls to turn.

Utterly and ridiculously hilarious were the only words Mayako could use to describe her. The pink nightgown fit his muscular body snugly, but still completely covered him. The sleeves formed to his arms, ending a bit short of his wrists. The length of the gown stretched down to his knees, exposing the bottom of his pants. The humiliation on his face quickly shifted into a glare meant for the entire group of laughing girls.

"It does look cute on you, but make sure to return it after tonight," she teased, sticking her tongue out at the boy. "I know how you like to borrow my dresses for lengthy periods of time."

"Funny," the humiliated youth replied, folding his arms at his chest. "Truth or dare, Mayako."

Humming with consideration, she rested her chin in her right hand, glancing between the three girls and Kenichi. She wondered what devious scheme her brother had cooked up in that saintly brain of his. The worst dare she had ever had to perform was to strip in front of a large group of their friends. Unfortunately for Kenichi, it backfired miserably when she started to remove clothing extremely close to him, effectively embarrassing him more than it had her, especially since he was the only boy on the soccer team, and the only boy in that group. It also gave her the chance to dance in front of people nude for the first time. Reflecting on it again, she realized that she had actually enjoyed it, to some extent.

On the other hand, he did pretty much know all of her secrets, and having to tell those tidbits of information in front of three people whose ears it should not reach would not be good. Also, considering the revenge he wanted for her at this moment, she might be forced to reveal something more embarrassing than she could know. He would dare her to the best of his ability, but it probably would not be too evil, or so she hoped.

"Dare."

His lips twisted into a satisfied grin upon the pronunciation of her fate. He sucked in a deep breath in preparation for his dare. "I dare you, for the entire time I have to wear this ridiculous nightgown, to serve us all whatever we want, when we want it, and you have to act like a perfect servant the whole time. As soon as you snap at one of us, or don't do what you're supposed to, I get to take this thing off. Deal?"

Damn, and she had him cornered for a fool in times requiring cunning. "Oh, all right." What he neglected to realize was that she was willing to play his game, for the entire night.

"How about we go one more round just asking truths?" Mai offered, smiling at them. "You can ask me something first, Mayako."

Her offer was simply too much temptation to resist. "You got it, sister." She grinned while thinking up an appropriate revenge for the last dare, even though she almost deserved it for making the poor girl kiss her sister. The simpler the question was, the better. "Who do you like now?" Mayako knew well enough that she had a crush on Kenichi, but the girl would never admit it. Kenichi treated Mai like a little sister whenever they were together, and there was little chance of getting him to change his mind now since he obviously fell for Kimiko. Lord knows, she tried many times in the past.

Mai fell silent, her chin locked but she appeared to be ready for the question. "He's a year older than me and goes to Furinken." Her eyes looked everywhere, but never once fell on Kenichi. "I've talked with him a lot; he comes to Ucchan's often. Unfortunately, he doesn't think of me like that, and he likes this new girl." Her solemn tone reflected the pain she felt, and everyone else could feel it too. She opened her mouth to say more, but Reiko interjected.

"You don't have to say anymore, honey," the considerate brunette told Mai, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll find someone else, Mai-chan," Kenichi reassured, smiling warmly at her. He continued. "And he'll see you for the bright, intelligent young girl you are. You'll see." Mayako shook her head, remarking on how blind that boy could be sometimes. She looked at Mai again; the girl smiled shyly at her brother.

"I guess its my turn to ask a question, then," Mai whispered unsteadily. She turned to Reiko. "Give me a second to think."

Mayako looked over at Kimiko who still sat quietly who silently kept her thoughts to herself. She had been acting similarly through out the night besides when they spoke to her directly. The poor girl probably felt out of place. She turned back to look at Mai whose mouth twisted in consideration.

"Oh, I can't think of anything. Any suggestions?" Mai predictably looked at her for help, causing Mayako to roll her eyes. "Well, I'd ask the same thing, but that's not very original."

"Who needs originality?" Mayako smartly replied, smiling wryly.

"How about I tell you all about my last kiss?" Reiko offered bluntly. The smile on her face never shifted for a moment.

Mayako considered that thoughtfully. Reiko's love life was always considered non-existent at best, and considering she offered to tell about her last kiss required a first, second and everything in between. Perplexing was not quite the word she was looking for.

"Sure," Mai said smiling. Reiko was entirely too infectious with that happiness of hers.

"Well," the brunette began, looking past them in thought. The smile from her face slowly faded and she appeared to be considering her answer thoroughly. "Last week, when the Akinawas were in town, Shoichi asked me out on a date. I told him yes, and the next day we went and had lunch in the park. Well, I spilled a little juice on my lip, and instead of pointing it out, he licked it off." By the time she told her story that far, she had everyone's complete attention. Mayako was still stunned about Shoichi Asakawa, of all people, asking her cousin out on a date. Granted he was handsome, that young man seemed disinterested in women all together, preferring the call of the family business to the company of a female. Reiko continued. "It caught me off guard at first, but when I looked into his eyes, I knew he felt the same about me as I felt for him. That's when we kissed." She paused for a second, but the smile on her face was already firmly in place by the time she spoke again. "I believe it's your turn, Kimiko."

"Oh, um, what do you want to know?" the redhead asked, her silence broken. Mayako glanced over at her. The girl appeared to be more comfortable in their presence than she had at first.

Mai whispered something in Reiko's ear that Mayako failed to overhear and Reiko nodded, her demeanor changing subtly. Mayako frowned, hating to not know what was going on.

"Where'd you learn the Anything-Goes style of Martial Arts? And tell us a little about your martial arts past." Mai appeared just as Reiko sounded, and Mayako was completely baffled by the question. How on earth would either of them know about Kimiko's experience in Martial arts was questionable, but the fact that they figured Kimiko knew the Anything-Goes School was stranger. Mayako turn to watch the redhead who appeared to be just as startled by the question as she herself was.

Kimiko took a deep breath, grasping her knees with her arms. "What part do you want to hear? There's lots of it." The tone of her voice sounded very defensive, and Mayako wondered if they had pried somewhere they should not have.

"Well, when you fought Shoji and his cronies today, your style was undeniably similar to the Anything-Goes style," Mai explained. "It took me a bit after our lunch to piece it together. So, how'd you learn to fight like that? I don't remember any masters of the Anything-Goes School crossing the Pacific."

A couple seconds of silence passed before Kimiko answered. "My father wasn't a master, but he was an adequate teacher. My brother is a much competent teacher than him, and I guess I'm a decent student. Between the two of them, I learned quite a bit. I also picked up a few moves here and there from various masters of different styles. I guess my brother and father knew some Anything-Goes."

Something about her explanation nagged at Mayako, but she disregarded it. Somehow, both she and her brother had not picked out any signs of Anything-Goes from her fighting style. It did not really matter, though. She realized just who Kimiko had made enemies with and opened her eyes wide. "You took on Shoji and his friends?"

"She didn't only take them on," Mai began. "But she beat the hell out of all of them. She moped the floor with Michio, Masami and Seiko. They didn't stand a chance."

"Ryosei helped," Kimiko informed them modestly.

"About enough not to get himself killed," Mai responded, smiling. "He barely beat Shoji after Kimiko distracted him some. Your father must have been an incredible martial artist."

"Who is your father?" Kenichi asked, inquiring further and leaning forward to put himself closer to the redhead..

"My adopted father was Nobukazu Nishiyama. He died little over a year ago." Kimiko's blue eyes could not have been any colder. They had definitely tread where they should not have.

"I'm sorry," Kenichi apologized, but Kimiko waved him off.

"I remember Nobukazu-san," Reiko said slowly, hanging her head low. "He was very kind, and I feel your loss, Kimiko." Mayako and Mai nodded with her statement. "I don't remember seeing you at his funeral." Mayako did not either, but she almost winced when Reiko said it.

The look on Kimiko's face was all that was needed in reply. She looked pale and dazed, staring at nothing. "I was unavailable." Her words sounded empty, but they reminded her of what Kimiko had told them yesterday. She had stated that she was recovering from an accident, though she did not further explain - probably the same accident that her step-father perished in.

"Let's move on," Mayako offered, and everyone agreed. Kimiko did not appear to be ready to ask anyone anything, so Mayako took the chance to ask her brother first. "So, Kenichi, tell the truth now." She rubbed her hands together, grinning at him. "What really did happen between you and Ayame that night a couple months ago?" His eyes widened slightly and he swallowed. "No escaping the question this time, brother."

Grimacing, he whispered, "What Ayame would we be talking about?"

"The only one we know, silly! Ayame Asakawa, of course." As Mayako finished, she noticed his face had already began taking a suspicious shade of red, and she prepared for him to dodge the question. "We're waiting."

"Nothing serious," he replied quietly, obviously lying.

"Of course, Kenichi," Reiko said, glaring at him. "That's why you returned with lipstick all over your face. Silly me." Mayako nodded and looked to Mai who looked like she did not want to be here at the moment. Kimiko appeared thoughtful, though she still appeared to be reeling from the earlier questioning.

"Oh, all right," he responded in a whispered sigh. "You better not tell anyone. And like I said, it really wasn't that serious." Scratching the back of his hand, he took a deep breath. "Well, after we set down camp Ayame said she had something to tell me after dinner. When we finished eating, she dragged me a few meters away from the camp, and we talked for a few minutes. I can't tell you what she said, because I promised that I wouldn't, but you can probably guess." His mood seemed to be severely drowned from its original vitality. "We started kissing, but it just didn't feel right to me. When I told her that, she tried to reassure me, but I sort of panicked and went back to camp, forgetting about the lipstick on my face." He looked up at them, apparently gauging each person's reactions. Mayako just stared at him incredulously. "So, now I told you. Don't tell anyone else."

"I had no idea Ayame had a thing for you," Reiko stated slowly, almost thoughtfully, rather than her usual cheerfulness. "You are a true heart-breaker, Kenichi Tendou. I wonder what the tally is now?"

"That really isn't fair, Rei-chan," Mai blurted in Kenichi's defense. "It's not like he asked for anyone to come after him."

Reiko looked her friend squarely in the eyes, dead calm. "He did nothing to discourage any of them until they figured he had similar feelings for them, though."

With her mind frantically piecing all the strangeness together, Mayako looked over to Kimiko. Her blue eyes seemed trained on Kenichi, but they did not appear jealous, angry or even sad, just thoughtful and even a bit interested, which was much different from her demeanor minutes ago. She still sat in silence, though, and Mayako could think of little to help the girl out of her shell. She looked at her brother once more, but he held his eyes shut with his palms, the grimace still present on his face.

"There's nothing I can do about it now," he whispered to the arguing girls. "Let's move on again, please?" He removed his hands from his face and peered over to Mayako. "Just say something embarrassing; I don't feel like thinking right now."

Mayako grinned in her victory, thinking about something she could tell them. After all, they had revealed some very juicy tidbits of themselves. Was it not only fair to share one of hers?

"Last time I've been out with a guy was two years ago," she admitted, sticking her tongue out at her brother. "Good enough?" The dry look on his face definitely replied for him in the negative. "Oh, okay, I guess that wasn't embarrassing enough for you? Well, last soccer season, when I made the winning score at our last game, before I kicked the ball, the elastic on my shorts snapped causing them to fall around my ankles. I stumbled and fell forward, accidentally colliding with the ball and knocking it in." Everyone in the room laughed, excluding the story teller. "No one even seemed to notice when the hoisted me in the air. I did manage to pull my shorts up though."

"No way," Kenichi replied after he caught his breath.

"I remember that!" Mai nearly yelled, though she still giggled. "It's true Kenichi-kun. I kicked her the pass and watched her fall into line with the ball perfectly. I almost laughed then, but I was too caught up in winning."

"I have to admit, that was a good story," Kimiko told her. "I think I can match it, but I don't think I'd want to." Looking at the clock above Mayako's dresser, Kimiko said, "It's almost six now."

"Why don't we watch a movie now?" Reiko asked with her usual tranquillity. "It will be getting late soon, so when your mom brings home some food, we can eat it while watching. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Good idea, Rei," Kenichi agreed, smiling sinuously at his sister. "Why don't you go and tell mom, sis? I'm sure you don't mind."

Rolling her eyes at his remark, Mayako slowly pushed herself off the floor and stood. Insolently resting her hands on her hips, she peered down at her comically dressed brother. "Of course, I don't mind, little brother. I'll go right away." If he thought he had won this match, he was so wrong.

* * *

The distinguished men eagerly entered the small establishment, immediately scanning their surroundings. A thick wave of stuffy air washed over them as they walked in. Dim lamplight lit the room from side to side, casting shadows across the wood tiled floor. The bar lay on the far side of room directly across from them with more than a dozen tables each with four chairs in between. Only a few patrons sat on the stools at the bar due to the time of day and not a soul occupied a single table. No more than twenty years of age, a young woman, dressed very scantily in a short light yellow skirt and a white blouse, happily approached the two men, regarding their apparel with a raised eyebrow.

"Please have a seat gentlemen," she welcomed in a warm voice, handing them menus. "I'll be right with you."

"There will be another joining us," the taller of the two men with long graying black hair informed, smiling affectionately.

"Of course," she replied, giving him another menu. "Can I get you some water to start with?"

"Okay," the shorter man, a kerchief covering his bald head, answered. "Thank you, miss."

The waitress nodded, weaving through the tables towards the bar.

"So, Saotome," Soun said as he pulled up a chair at a table against the right wall. "This weekend may prove to be most interesting." Wearily sitting himself, he smiled at his friend.

"Indeed, Tendou," Genma replied, pulling up a chair and sitting also. "This girl that you said looks like my son. Are you sure that you saw her right? I mean, it has been what, eighteen years since we've last seen or heard from him?"

"I did friend," Soun answered as he opened his menu to the lunch section. "Akane saw her this morning before I departed from the house. You should have seen her face. It looked like she had seen a ghost, and I'm not so sure that she didn't."

Humming in thought, Genma weakly pried apart his menu but he did not look inside. "Could it be his daughter or the boy himself in his cursed form? Or maybe his offspring bare the sex changing curse as well?"

"I believe that it is his daughter," Soun whispered, searching the text for an appetizing item. "Shampoo's, Mousse's and your children were not cursed in birth, and I doubt that his children have either."

Nodding vigorously, Genma agreed. "Good thinking, Tendou. I myself am not thinking quite straight this morning. To think that there is a chance to see my son, or his daughter. Oh, Tendou, I have missed the boy so."

Pausing for a moment, Soun reflected over the matter. "As have I, Saotome. As have I. It simply has not been the same without him." Turning his head towards the entrance of the restaurant, he solemnly took a deep breath. "You should have seen the girl fight though, Saotome. I only witnessed but a part of her spar with my grandchildren, and I must say that she is one of the most gifted fighters that I have ever seen since your son."

Genma drew within himself as the waitress arrived and left behind two glasses of water, but neither of the two noticed her. His hunger for food had long since past, but his need for his son replaced it, that burning ache to see how Ranma turned out. His eyes threatened to fill with tears, but he pushed them aside. "I'm glad he did not slack in the training of his children."

Soun nodded in agreement, having found a suitable item to order. He folded the menu up and placed it at the side of the table. "You are not angry at the boy for leaving so brashly? If he were to show his face, that is."

Genma looked up at his friend, considering for a moment. "No, Tendou." He drooped his head sorrowfully, allowing a single tear to slide down his rough cheeks. "How could I be angry at my son? I lost all anger for him years ago. If he were to return, I would not even ask why he left, if he did not volunteer the information. I've missed him so. For all my horrible treatment of him, I'm surprised that he did not run away earlier. Oh, Tendou, it is all my fault."

Soun watched solemnly, but he, too, knew in his heart that part of the blame lay on his shoulders. If they had not pushed the children so hard, if they had not...oh, it was hopeless. "Please, Saotome," he implored, observing his melancholy friend. "What is past, is past. Let us live in the present." He rubbed his hands against the smooth surface of the table, carefully trying to raise his friend's spirits. "Let us be strong for now, and consider what might have driven him away. In all seriousness, I do not think we were the final force behind it." Genma raised his head, listening intently to the words. "We might have only been part, while something became the catalyst on that night he disappeared. Do you have any idea what could have happened to the boy that would scare him enough to run away?" When Genma seemed about to protest that his son was not afraid of anything - excluding cats of course - Soun added, "It would have had to be something extreme to do that to him. Ranma would not run away from responsibility unless something greater was at stake."

The waitress returned again, took their orders and left after they reminded her again that they would be having company, so to bring all of the food upon his arrival and order. In the mean time, Genma reflected deeply on Soun's question, mulling over the possibilities. He needed to consider all of the facts before going into tangents. Eighteen years might have been spent since that day, but he still remembered the weeks of searching for his only child as if they were yesterday.

He thoughtfully sipped his water. "He must have been very drunk, as his friends were." Soun nodded to this and took a long drink from his glass. "Ryouga told us afterward that he was taking Ranma home and that Ranma gained enough consciousness to resist and try to find his own way home. I can see that, if Ranma were drunk."

"True," Soun replied softly. "But we are missing something. I know it. Then Ryouga followed, but got lost on the way. That is certainly believable."

Genma sighed to himself and went to lift the glass, bumping it clumsily with his right hand, almost knocking it over. It rolled over on its base a few times before settling in place. The old man's eyes lit with a thought. "Tendou, my friend. I believe I remembered something that may help unwrap this mystery."

"Do tell, Saotome," Soun said, mildly interested.

"It was raining very hard that night," Genma said with conviction as if that would solve the entire problem. When Soun raised an eyebrow in confusion, he clarified. "My boy would have been a girl."

"How would that change anything?" Soun asked, still unsure of his friend's message. "It used to rain a lot in those days."

"It makes a world of difference, Tendou," he answered, concentrating on the solution. "Young women who have had far too much to drink are much more vulnerable than men in the same position. Think, Tendou. What do you think happened after he left Ryouga? He had passed out at the bar, as the bartender told us. Something horrible enough to warrant his proceeding actions."

"You don't think?" Soun gasped, putting a hand to his mouth. He asked again, this time with more hushed tones. "You don't think that your son might have been..."

Genma nodded solemnly, gritting his teeth. "That is the conclusion I came up with. He was so ashamed with himself that he fled so that shame would not spread to his family."

"Oh, God," Soun whispered in quiet horror. "I never even considered the possibility."

With his eyes downcast, Genma took a deep breath. "As much as I want to believe that he made the right choice, I cannot console myself on that fact. I would have accepted him back, son or daughter, in the end. Whether Kimiko is his daughter by seed or womb, I would accept them both back into the family, if they were to return. No questions asked."

"As I would welcome him back to my home, if he were to need shelter," Soun replied adamantly.

"Thank you, Tendou."

Soun smiled warmly and reached across the table to pat Genma on the shoulder. Genma returned it half-hearted, but his spirits felt raised by ever so much more than he wanted to admit. The sound of the door opening stole their attention from the plight and caused them to rise from their seats.

After immediately examining the youth approaching them, Soun's smile broadened. The boy seemed to carry with him his father's arrogance, and his father's pride as he strode forward. With his dress jacket rested over his shoulder and his black slacks neatly ironed, he waved one hand before he stood close enough to bow. His hard, steel-gray eyes regarded them warmly and the smile on his face did not appear faked. His long black hair dangling slightly past his shoulders and his dazzlingly handsome face made him a heart throb for young women. The casual grace with which he moved and his height, nearly six foot, was even more impressive. And Soun already knew this one to be very bright.

"It is good to see the both of you again," the youth admitted after they bowed to each other. "It has been a long time."

"That it has, Nishiyama-san," Soun replied.

"Please, call me Kiyoshi," he returned as they all sat across from one another. "It feels like it's been much longer than two years since the last shareholders meeting I attended with you. But a lot has changed since then." The two older men whispered their agreement as he continued. "Please forgive my tardiness. I was in a meeting with some of my associates. They were rather enthusiastic and I was forced to talk with each one of them about possible projects. Your daughter, Nabiki, is a most impressive business woman, Tendou-san. I am proud to have her on my staff."

"And I am proud to have her for my daughter," Soun replied a grin. "How have you been fairing, Kiyoshi? We have heard so little of you since your father died."

"Busy," Kiyoshi answered, smiling halfheartedly. "Busy, but well enough, I suppose." He beamed at the waitress an absentminded smile as she dreamily placed a tall glass of water in front of him. Soun watched amused as she giggled and left, mumbling about returning with their food.

"That is no more than one can hope to claim," Genma sagely stated, breaking his self-imposed silence.

"Too true, Saotome," Soun agreed, sipping at his water. His mind floated back to his earlier conversation, though he tried not to ponder the dark subject to intently. A blade of curiosity kept up its vicious assault, until he could not bare to remain silent on the subject. "The other day, my grandson met a bright young lady by the name of Kimiko Nishiyama." After pausing to watch Kiyoshi's stagnant expression, he continued. "It would not have occurred to me that you might be related, but I happened to witness her amazing fighting skills today. Only one from your father's line could have taught her some of those brilliant moves since neither of ours could have."

With a mirthful chuckle, Kiyoshi lifted the glass of water to his lips. He took a deep sip, his eyes closed, the bemused expression still burning on his face. As he set the glass on the table, he met Soun's eye. "Short, bright red hair and a personality that matches her fiery mane? I believe you are speaking of my sister."

With a half-smile, Soun nodded. "We are thinking of the same young woman." He briefly glanced at Genma, but the other's face was bound with heavy thought and betrayed no emotions. "I have to warn you, though," he began telling Kiyoshi. "My grandson, Kenichi, has become enamored by your sister."

"Is that so?" the young man asked, questioning himself more than Soun, but the elder nodded anyway. "It is really too bad that we have to leave soon."

"Where are you off to?" Genma asked inquisitively.

Kiyoshi lifted his glass to take another sip, but stopped and began staring at the clear water inside. "China." His voice sounded drawn out, tired. Genma shifted in his seat slightly. "We'll be doing a little training here and there. I heard that its been quite chaotic there since the government fell."

"Besides a noticeable increase in bandits and the lack of a communist government, it's fairing better recently than it has in the last few years," Genma told him evenly. "Each of the cities has their own militia and seem to keep things relatively peaceful. That's what the news reports, anyway." Kiyoshi nodded and finally pressed the glass to his lips, taking a long sip. "I'd still be on guard if I were you though."

"Always am," Kiyoshi replied stoically, placing his finished glass of water on the table. His looked up, past Soun who turned to see the waitress bringing them their food. "Eat well, gentlemen."

* * *

As the lights dimmed, the large screen dangling from the ceiling lit with a multitude of brilliant colors. Rumbling in accordance to the picture, the speakers vibrated. Words formed on the screen, displaying the opening credits of the movie now in progress. The viewers kept silent in anticipation, though one angrily carried a tray of food.

Kimiko passively thanked Mayako for bringing snacks, gluing her eyes to the screen as the opening scene unfolded before them. She leaned back to rest up against the wall, having sat there purposely. Reiko quietly whispered to Mai, both sitting underneath the scene, laying on their backs. Kenichi sat to her right, idly sipping the soda in his hands. A light fragrance of soap drifted from him, since he had recently taken a shower.

She reached out and grabbed a soda and a bag of chips from the silver tray, grinning at Kenichi as he snagged the last bag, though he already had one.

"Hey, Maya!" he called out as his sister began to sit in preparation to watch the movie. "We're out of chips." Her returned glare brought a chuckle from him.

"Oh, I didn't get any either," Reiko sighed, frowning slightly. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind getting some more?"

Grumbling, Mayako quickly stood up, brushed herself off and left the room, slamming the door on her way out. Everyone but Reiko giggled before returning their attention to the movie. Mayako returned swiftly with a large pile of snacks and even a few bowls of rice, one of which Kimiko happily snagged.

After the movie had progressed for over a half an hour, Kimiko slapped herself lightly across the face to try and stay awake. Reiko simply had no taste in movies. Turning to Kenichi she was about comment when she noticed that he slumbered soundly. His chest rose and fell in a deep sleep, though he still sat fairly straight. She returned to watching the dull movie, even as her eyelids slowly slid shut. The next minute, she joined Kenichi in dreamland.

* * *

A light rap at the door drew Mayako's attention from Reiko's favorite, and her second favorite, movie, a romantic flick about two star-crossed lovers - or something like that. It was an oldie, but a goodie, in her opinion. The strange dialogue did take getting used to though.

She rose to her feet, stretching her arms out wearily and then crossed the floor of her bedroom. Opening the door a few inches, she peeked out.

"This better be good, Eiji," she whispered to her little brother. "And if you're lost, too bad."

He shook his head vigorously, pointing towards the stairway end of the hall. "Grandpa says Kimiko needs to come down stairs. Says someone's here to pick her up."

"Really?" she asked curiously, opening the door enough to edge her way out. After she shut the door, she asked, "Did you see the person that's picking her up?"

Eiji nodded enthusiastically, pointing towards the stairs again. "He's a really tall man with long hair. I like him! He said I would be the bestest fighter! He said it too!"

"That's nice, Eiji," she replied. "He's in the family room with Grandfather?"

"Yes!"

"All right, lead the way, little man," she whispered to him, following the energetic child as he bounced across the hall and hopped down the stairs. She stopped him at the base of the stairs and quietly told him to stay put.

Sneaking to the edge of the hall of the family room, she peered across the house at the three men and her mother sitting at the table. She easily recognized her grandfather's thin form and long gray hair, and her Uncle Genma's bald, scarf covered head and his pear-shaped figure, but the third man at the far end of the table was a complete stranger. Though he sat a distance away, she could easily identify him as a quite young and very handsome man. His long black hair rested on his shoulders somewhat like her grandfather's, but thick bangs curved at the ends towards his face. Broad shoulders and corded neck muscles were discernible, punctuating his physique. At one moment it appeared that he looked up and saw her, but his attention seemed to be absorbed by his hosts. Sucking in a deep breath, she released her grip on the ends of her shirt, since her knuckles turning white. She wondered if this could be the brother Kimiko spoke of earlier.

"I'm in love," she whispered to herself.

"In love with who?" Eiji whispered in reply, peeking past her legs in the same manner she had been.

Mayako nearly yelped in surprise, but she quickly pulled together her wits and said, "No one, Eiji-chan. Go and tell Grandfather Soun that Kimiko will be right down, okay love?"

"Okay," Eiji agreed, nodding. After she turned him in the right direction and gave him a gentle push towards the right direction, he bounded off to repeat the message.

She stared at the young man for a few more seconds before turning around a climbing back up the stairs. Sprinting to her room, she brutally opened the door, spilling light into the dark room.

"Hey!" Reiko protested, glaring at the intrusion. "You know better manners than that, Mayako."

"Close it quick!" Mai exclaimed, not turning her head from the screen. "He's about to kiss her!"

"Commercial break," she replied sternly, flipping on the lights. Reiko pressed a button on the projector and folded her arms under her breasts. When Mai started giggling hysterically, both Reiko and Mayako turned to her quizzically. Reiko turned towards the wall, her lips curving into a grin.

"What?" Mayako asked, turning to her side to witness the scene before her. Though she quickly pressed her left hand to her mouth, a muted bubble of laughter escaped as she walked up to the sleepers. Having fallen over from his sitting, her brother lay on his right side, resting his head on his arms. His body still adorned the ridiculous pink nightgown, clinging to the shape of his well proportioned body. On the other hand, Kimiko lay sprawled out with her upper torso clenched to Kenichi, her head positioned on his side and her arms wrapped around his waist. Her jaw hung slightly ajar, snoring in sound slumber.

With no intentions of embarrassing Kimiko any more than she had to, Mayako knelt and gently nudged her. The girl turned her head away from Mayako, pushing Kenichi away from the wall slightly and shifting herself behind him like a blanket to block out the light. Unlike her friends who were giggling uncontrollably behind her, she held back laughter.

* * *

Morning light shown down on her face harshly, tearing at her eyes. Shifting in her bed, Kimiko felt another gentle nudge trying to awaken her. Refusing to yield a single precious moment of rest, she wrapped her arms around her pillow tighter, drawing herself nearer.

"Kimiko!"

She attempted to open her eyes, but the felt sealed shut. "Just a few more minutes, Kiyoshi. I'm still tired." Knowing that her excuse would not work with her persistent master, she yawned. Another gentle shake finished waking her and she tried to sit up, but the crimp in her back and her unusual position restrained her. "I'm awake already."

Drawing in a deep breath, the pleasant scent of soap filled her nostrils. As her senses were slowly restored to her body and mind, the strangeness of her situation began to seep in. She focused her eyes upon the figure kneeling next to her. Shoulder length black hair brushed against the person's face as hands lifted themselves from her shoulder. The startling part was the position her body. Inviting warmth radiated from the body underneath her and she nearly cried out in surprise.

"What?" she murmured, pushing herself off of Kenichi. The realization of her position dawned upon her and the deep shade of crimson that her face assumed failed to hide it. "It's not what it looks like."

"Huh, what?" Kenichi sputtered, pressing his hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn. "Movie over already?"

Kimiko rolled to her feet quickly, frowning as she straightened her tangled clothing. Reiko and Mai exchanged knowing glances with her before she turned away from their smirking faces. At least, Mayako seemed stoic about it.

"Someone's here for you, Kimiko," Mayako told her solemnly. "I think it's your brother."

Her previous embarrassment washed out of her and the color slowly drained from her cheeks. Her brother had promised to stay out of her business and he had never broken his word before. There had to be a reason for his presence today.

"Come on, I'll show you to him," Mayako offered, taking Kimiko's hand. "I think he's been waiting a while."

"Okay," she replied, allowing the girl to lead her downstairs. Nearly falling when Mayako leapt the last few steps, Kimiko held her hand tightly. As they began to pass through the hallway to the family room, they abruptly stopped, causing Kimiko to slide into Mayako.

Facing the adults seated around the table, Kimiko's heart leapt. Stepping out from behind her friend, she stood, facing figures all too familiar. Light reflected off of Genma's thin, dark-framed glasses just as it would off his bald head if he did not wear a kerchief to cover it. His eyes returned her nervous stare, but she did not turn away quickly. Slowly glancing to the next individual, her brother, she leveled a glare at him. The whole group remained silent until Akane spoke.

"Would you like some tea, girls?"

Mayako replied before Kimiko had the chance to. "No thank you, mother. We just had drinks up stairs." Kimiko turned to face her right side to look at Mayako. She smiled warmly at the adults, but looked as nervous as Kimiko felt.

"No thank you, Akane-san," Kimiko replied anyway, facing her brother again. "Was there a problem, brother?"

A smile touched his cynical lips and he stood suddenly, brushing slacks. "No, Kimiko. Nothing is the matter. I just figured since I was here, I might as well take you back to the hotel now and save on cab fare." Before she could reply, he addressed his hosts with his charming and pleasant voice, bowing. "I'm afraid I have to leave all of you now."

"It was good seeing you again, Kiyoshi," Soun said, standing briefly to return the bow. Akane and Genma did likewise before Kiyoshi silently stepped around them and walked towards the girls.

"You have not been introduced to my daughter yet, Nishiyama-san," Akane told him. "Kiyoshi Nishiyama, this is my daughter, Mayako Tendou. Mayako this is Kiyoshi."

"It is good to meet you, Nishiyama-san," the girl greeted, bowing very low.

"It is my pleasure," he replied smoothly, bowing to her. "Kimiko did not tell me her friends were so beautiful." He smiled warmly when Mayako's face turned deep scarlet. He twisted around, turning his back to the girls when he spoke again. "Have you met my sister yet, Saotome-san?"

"No, I have not," he replied. "I am Genma Saotome, young one. Your brother did tell us of your beauty, though his words were sorely understated."

Nervously bowing, Kimiko took a deep breath before responding. "I thank you, Saotome-san." She twisted her head slightly when her brother placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for everything, Mayako." Kiyoshi squeezed her shoulder once before releasing it and walking down the hall. She turned to follow, but Mayako grabbed her wrist.

"I thought you were going to stay the night?" she whispered urgently.

"I can?" Kimiko whispered back.

"Of course, silly!" Mayako exclaimed with hushed tones. "Please stay."

Kimiko nodded solemnly and turned to see her brother waiting at the door. Slowly crossing the floor, she stood a few feet from him and asked, "Would it be all right if I stayed here for the night?"

"As long as you stay out of trouble," he told her. Quietly, he whispered, "And be careful." He paused, looking out the open front door. "You might wish to collect some extra clothes at the hotel." Stepping out the door, he calmly strode down the brick walkway towards the gate.

"That mean you can stay?" Mayako asked, standing beside Kimiko.

"Yeah," she replied, beginning to follow her brother. "I gotta pick up some clothes at my room. I'll be back within an hour."

Keeping pace with her, Mayako skipped to keep up. She smiled at Kimiko before asking, "Mind if tag along?"

Tugging her crimson hair in a ponytail, the redhead pulled a hair tie from her pocket, binding it back to keep her bangs from swaying in her face. Twisting sideways, she returned Mayako's carefree smile. "I'm sure Kiyoshi won't care. Your mother doesn't mind if you come with us?" Mayako shrugged stoically as they passed through the gates and onto the sidewalk.

"That your car?" the raven haired girl asked, pointing at the black Mercedes Benz parked in front of the house. Kiyoshi walked to the driver's seat door and retrieved his keys from his pocket.

"Nah, that's just a rental," Kimiko explained with her hands on the handle.

"Oh," Mayako replied, sliding into the car after Kimiko.

* * *

After their silent journey across town, they arrived at the Hilton. Kiyoshi led the two girls towards the tall building which shined down upon them as they exited the car and made their way up to his room. Kiyoshi amusedly watched Mayako's startled face as they finally reached their destination. Slipping the room key into the door, it unlocked with a solid click and opened. Light from the hall filtered into the dark room, revealing its red carpeting.

"Lights," he uttered, and a half of a dozen lights lit at once, illuminating the entire room which appeared to be much more than that from its size. On his immediate left, a short, tiled hall led to the kitchen and further into a restroom. The floors shined with a recently polished luster, reflecting the glow from the light above. The closed door on the right remained shut and locked, though it was no more than a maid's storage room. Followed by the two teenagers, he crossed the hallway leading into a huge entertainment room, filled with stereo equipment, a very large video screen and a wide couch with a coffee table stretching its length. Red blinds against the far wall concealed a wide window that overlooked the city. Two doors led from this room into separate bedrooms, each with its own restroom. Kimiko had been surprised at the size of the king sized beds when they first arrived, but he had seen enough of these suites to not be. This would be the last luxury they would receive before China, and he meant to remember it.

"Cool," Mayako whispered as they entered the spacious room. "This place is huge!" She sneaked around his sister and haphazardly fell onto the couch, resting her arms around its cushions. She smiled at his sister who stood at his side. He turned to look at the crimson-haired girl who faintly returned Mayako's smile.

Though he had noticed it when he had first seen her sneaking a peek at him from around the hall back at the Tendou's, he still remarked at how closely Mayako resembled her mother. He still had yet to see her twin, but he supposed that the boy would appear much the same. It was no small wonder how Kimiko easily became friends with the two. He looked at Mayako on the couch conversing Kimiko with low tones.

Twisting his wrist watch in its proper position on his wrist, he read, "5:36," to himself quietly. The weight of responsibility re-attached itself to his shoulders as he remembered the duties he had put off for this night. He walked across the room to the wall and opened the blinds. Hundreds of feet below, the twinkle of the city shone up at him as the fiery reds and oranges of sunset lit the seemingly endless expanse of buildings. Clouds covered the horizon in their misty sprawl across the sky, but that only amplified the beauty before him. He closed his eyes warily as the two girls behind him chattered, their voices sweet to his ears. He needed to remember to take them to a Karaoke bar before he left to China.

"You two can do whatever, just keep the noise level down. I have to make some calls." Kimiko turned and nodded to him.

The door to his room opened and closed swiftly, and he quickly found his black leather briefcase, sealed as he had left it before and still laid upon his bed. When he placed his thumb against the strip of plastic underneath its handle, it snapped open, revealing an unsorted pile of papers and his black cellular phone. He retrieved the phone and placed it beside the briefcase. Next to join the phone, his stack of papers were gently laid in a neat pile. He peered into the darkness of the leather briefcase and slid his hand to the bottom of its unusually warm surface, digging under the folds. His fingers gingerly caressed the object of his search within, folding around it and finally grasping it. The warmth it radiated felt strangely comfortable against the skin of his hands, its hard, smooth surface slipping around the third finger of his right hand. It would be safest there, for now.

Like a jolt of adrenaline, he felt his chi surge through him as he summoned it. A bubble of violet energy crackled to life around him, surrounding his body in a protective sphere of pure, unadulterated chi energy with the essence of life coursing through his veins. He had no need to stand. The magic of his life force could do that for him, and it did, lifting him off the bed to leave him hovering in mid-air. While straining to hold onto his tentative control, he floated towards the window which took the entire wall. He gazed at the city below through a brilliant purple filter, but instead of hampering his vision, it amplified it tenfold. Details of the people walking on the dirtied streets focused clearly. Cars rushing by at high speeds slowed to a crawl and each passenger of each vehicle became easily discernible. Like a wraith, he floated through the surface of the glass and concentrated his energies on a different sense. His hawk-like vision fled his eyes instantly, replaced by the chattering of the people conversing, the swish of cars whizzing by, the shouts of angry pedestrians and a hundred other unique sounds. He could concentrate on a single noise, silencing all others, but he did not. Though his eyes no longer glowed with the power of his chi, it was still greatly enhanced along with every other sense, but nothing entered the violet shield of energy crackling around his body, not even air. His body simply had no need while in this state.

A knock on his door drew him from the ecstasy of the energy coursing through him, and he returned to the room faster than the eye could detect, faster than a bullet fired from its chamber, nearly breaching the speed of light. For a few vital seconds as the sun finished setting over the horizon, he struggled against the need to gather more chi, to surround himself with as much as he could hold, and maybe a bit more. He forced the power back to his body, returning him to normal. Though spectacular, he had only used a scant amount of energy to power his actions, leaving him plenty to hold onto consciousness. If he had used too much, he would have fallen into a deep slumber. If he had used it all, he would be dead. He slipped the ring from his finger and into his pocket.

Another couple knocks echoed into the room, and this time he stood unsteadily and walked to unlock it. He cracked open the door an inch, enough to peer at Kimiko's patient face.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice betraying the weariness he felt.

"I need to talk to you for a second," she whispered, staring back into his eyes. When he failed to answer her, her brows slanted and her lips curved into a frown. "Please?"

"Sure," he replied, opening the door to allow her entry.

"Thanks." She sauntered into the room, hands clasped in front of her. She hesitated but he nodded for her to sit. Avoiding the mess he had left from his empty briefcase, she hopped onto the wide mattress, bouncing a few times while shifting to sit cross-legged.

He turned and dragged a padded wooden chair from its place in the corner to face her, concern etched into his posture. "What's bothering you?"

Her lids shut and she turned away, showing the strain in her face. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about what I was doing at the Tendous."

The worry faded from him and he smiled. "It's your business, Kim-chan. I knew that you would tell me when you felt right about it, but if not that would have been fine too." He stood and knelt in front of her. Gently, he twisted her head to face him. "I'm the one who should be sorry."

"No," she retorted, glaring down at him. "I should have told you right away. They were as much a part of your life as they were mine." Her eyes glistened, but she did not cry. "We're both outcasts." The blank look in her face concerned him, and he gingerly held her chin.

"That's barely a part of what's troubling you." His challenging stare caused her to turn, but he did not let her. "Look at me, Kim-chan. Tell me what's wrong."

Her lips parted slightly as she grit her teeth. A tear spilled onto her cheek. "You were there; you saw her too." She gasped for a breath quietly with a hurt look painted onto her face. Her jaw quivered; she was on the verge of crying. "She's happy, she's married, and she has kids."

"I know," he whispered, releasing her chin.

"Why?" she asked, looking at him earnestly.

"I don't have that answer, love." He wiped the wetness from her cheek.

"A part of me is glad that she's happy," she whispered turning to stare at the door. "And another part is jealous and wants her back. I'm not a stupid child anymore." A moment of silence drowned out all noise, until she spoke again. "I've had to learn that the hard way. Nothing will ever be the same, and being here proves that." She had her emotions under control again, and she returned his look.

"When I walked into Tendou's house, I realized that it wasn't home anymore. Though living in California was strange, I liked it a lot better than I do here." Drawing in a deep breath, she sighed.

"Do you want to go home, then?" he asked calmly. "Or straight to China. I could get us a flight early tomorrow morning, or afternoon to either destination."

Consideration lit her eyes for a moment, but she shook her head. "There is a reason why I stay, though."

"The twins, right?" She nodded demurely in reply. "Is it because they look like Akane?"

"At first, yes," she admitted solemnly. "But I think I really like them. Mayako is so full of life, so vibrant. She fights much better than I did at her age, and she's her own person. I really admire her." She sniffed once, before continuing. "And Kenichi is so different, but I think I like him a little bit more. He's even- tempered and kind, if a bit dreamy-eyed. He really seemed to care. And last night before the cab picked me up, I really felt connected to him. If I was staying her longer, he'd definitely be my prime choice for a best friend."

"What's keeping you then?" he inquired, trying to understand her. The look in her eyes answered for him. "It hurts to be around Akane, doesn't it?" She nodded, closing her eyes. "If you ever change your mind, I could easily get you a place to stay near the Tendous, or even at their house if you wanted." He put his hand on her right knee. "Don't answer, just keep it in mind."

"Okay," she whispered almost inaudibly. "There's another thing, too." She paused resting both of her hands atop of his. "I wasn't going to say it you, or anyone, but I have to get it off my shoulders. Remember how you said Jusenkyou changed you?" After he nodded, she continued. "Well, it changed me too. A lot. And I'm scared that I'm going to lose myself because of it."

Placing his other hand atop hers, he held them in front of them. "Do you feel different inside now?"

"Yes," she replied, turning her hand around to gently squeeze his.

"What do you think changed inside of you?" he asked curiously. The red shade her face assumed caused him to add, "You don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable."

Her lids closed shut again, but she shook her head. "I have to tell someone." Silence descended upon them again, and it took her nearly two minutes for her to find her confidence. "I'm not attracted to women anymore." She opened her blue eyes to stare at him.

"And you're attracted to men, now," he finished for her, feeling her pain, her fear of rejection. She shrugged and turned away. This was dangerous territory to tread and he knew it, but if he was to help her, he would have to jump into the fire. "You shouldn't be ashamed of yourself." The questioning look in her eyes began to border a threat, but he continued. "You don't have to like it, but you should accept it for now. If you can't accept yourself for who you are, no one else can either." He delicately squeezed her hands to show his support.

The searching look in her eyes showed something still bothered her, but he would not pry into it any further tonight.

"Who are you?" she asked quietly with strained breathing. "I don't want to know who you were, but who you are. You definitely are not Happosai. I don't understand you." He could hear the solid determination in her voice, the essence of who she was, the will to never give up. "Happosai was a spiteful, perverted old man who cared for no one but himself. But you, you're so different. You cared for me even though we were enemies before, and you didn't even try anything like I expected you to. Why? Did you wake up different one day, or what?"

"It wasn't an over night change," he replied, sitting back in the wooden chair. He folded his arms atop his chest. "It took me one instant to realize who I was, and I didn't like it. I found myself reviled and hated by everyone around me. I found myself alone for the second time in a small prison cell, changed down like a caged animal. Armed guards had weapons trained on my prone figure. I was well over a hundred years old and found myself lacking something, and it wasn't women's undergarments. It didn't even have anything to do with women." He paused and looked away, holding his sorrow back. "I was dead to the world, and to myself.

"That was about when Jusenkyou's magic started affecting me, so I escaped jail and found a Buddhist temple in China where I could stay. It took one moment to realize I needed the change, and three years to undergo it. From that point on, I took control of my life, but I still felt empty and alone. That's when you woke up."

Standing straight, Kiyoshi pushed the chair into the corner of the room. He smiled warmly at her before moving to clean the mess on his bed. "All I needed was a little happiness, a little complication in my life and it felt that much more rewarding, to live."

"There is one thing on my mind, Kimiko," he whispered. She nodded for him to continue. "What are you going to tell everyone about yourself? Will you tell them your true identity, or something else? Your father and Soun are already investigating your connection to Ranma, and if you're not careful they could find out the truth."

Her pause was enough of an answer, but she spoke anyway. "I don't really know." With her eyes closed, she took in a deep breath and released it slowly. "Each time I go there, I feel the need to tell everyone, but I'm scared how they'll react. What if they don't want me around? I know that I'd be mad at me if I were Akane. And what if they don't believe me? I can't change like I used to be able to. If they thought I was a liar, I'd never be able to see Akane or anyone again. They'd just think me a horrible person for lying like that." She paused again, considering her answer. "You know what I mean?"

"Yeah," he replied softly. "It would be best to take your time, but do not take too much; otherwise, it may fall down on top of you."

She stood and walked to the door, opening it. "Thanks, Kiyoshi."

"Anytime," he replied. "Tell your friend that we're going back in a few minutes. I hope you gathered some stuff?"

"Uh-huh." She paused at the door for a moment before walking out.

* * *

The three climbed into the Mercedes, but this time Mayako sat in the passenger seat. Kimiko silently stared out the window as her brother turned on the engine. The streets were bustling with activity at this time of night and there were many pedestrians on the walks, but her mind was elsewhere. Her talk with her brother stirred a lot of dormant emotions, pain most of all. All of the pain she experienced from waking in the strange hospital bed to now seemed to have been collecting, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

She idly listened to Mayako as she talked with her brother, but with no enthusiasm. The girl's earlier modesty seemed to have evaporated.

"How old are you?" she asked bluntly.

"Older than you," he quipped slowing the car to allow a few pedestrians cross the road. While his response was meant to quench any probing questions, it had little effect.

"Where do you work?"

He took a moment to answer, but did none-the-less. "I own Nishiyama Inc. and a couple dozen other corporations world wide."

As they pulled onto the highway, Kimiko's eyes slowly slid shut as the background blurred hypnotically.

"So, you live in the States?"

"Yes, on the west coast."

Her head slid against the cold glass and the vibrations of the car stoked her sleepiness.

"I heard it's warm there, unlike here. It seems to be cold all the time now."

"Actually, the weather is pretty much the same as here."

Her mouth slid open and she sucked in the cold air, barely conscious as the car hummed steadily.

"I don't mean to pry, but do you have a girlfriend?"

"Why, are you offering?"

A sudden bump in the road jolted the car enough to cause Kimiko's head to bounce against the window, but she hardly noticed.

"No, no, I was just curious."

"Not at the moment, no."

Her eyes eased open slightly and she looked at Mayako briefly before shutting them again.

"Hey, we're just about there."

* * *

Inky darkness consumed her as her lungs screamed for oxygen. She frantically swam upwards, straining to hold herself from taking a breath. As the cold seeped into her body, her eyes searched for light, but found none. She wanted to cry, she wanted to see, she wanted to live, but she was trapped in her prison and there were no walls, no dimensions, nothing to hold onto and no sound to hear.

She grew more frantic as another moment passed without gaining any ground. A numbness began to settle over her, starting with her feet, and reaching up towards her ankles, gaining speed until it reached her knees.

Realization began to dawn upon her and she closed her eyes, feeling with her mind instead of her fingers. She looked with a thought rather than an eye. She focused all of her remaining energy, every ounce, praying that it was enough to pull through the madness.

A light, no bigger than a single grain of sand, shown upon her and she reached for it, grabbing it. Instantly, warmth spread down her body and the nourishing air forced itself into her lungs. Relief, unparalleled to any she might have experience before, calmed her, filled her, saturating her entire being. She slightly loosened her grip, and fell into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

They had all decided to go to bed and placed out there blankets and pillows on the living room floor. After a bit of arguing, everyone agreed to let Mai use the couch, while the other four found places near it. At first, Kenichi thought his choice to sleep next to Kimiko was a good one, though he later realized with her so close it was impossible to sleep. Now it was well past one in the morning and he was not even remotely tired. From the sound of everyone else's breathing, they were sleeping.

He tried to close his eyes to sleep, but light from the digital clock on the VCR cast just enough light to make Kimiko's face visible. There was something about her that drew him like a moth to a flame. From the subtle curves of her cheekbone, to the small point of her nose, he marveled at how perfect she appeared to him. He sighed deeply, and closed his eyes.

She stirred slightly with a soft whimper and his eyes snapped open. Instead of lying on her back, she now faced him on her side. Less than a foot separated them now. His heart leapt as he reached his hand out, brushing her left cheek. She felt like ice against his finger, and he began to draw it back when both of her hands darted out, snagging his within them. Her hands chilled his, but he barely felt it. Her eyes still remained shut and her cute pout shifted and her teeth began to chatter.

Spotting the problem, he reached down to her feet with his free hand and covered her with her discarded blanket. He laid himself down again, still watching her attentively. The smile on her face showed her relief, bringing one to his. She still gripped his hand, but not as tightly. It did not take him long to find sleep thereafter.

End Part One: The Unexpected

* * *

Nothing but the cold and rain welcomed Kimiko home, but her new friends seem to fill in the gaps with their childish humor and light demeanors. The day ended, bringing to light in the eyes of her new friends the agony tearing her asunder. Kimiko's old friend's are gathering, and she may find herself the star again, the object of everyone's attention. The dawn of a new day approaches, a life renewed. But the darkness is also gathering, bringing with it a tempest of destruction. Two figures, both evil bound with good intentions, and one of pure dark will soon find the target of their wrath. Her new friends may prove invaluable when it arrives, but their forms are deceptive. Until next time friends, in Misery Loves Company, Farewell.


	4. Part Two: Haunted Pasts (1 of 4)

Lifted by warm greetings and happy faces, Kimiko enters into a seemingly pleasant world. As the sky grows dark with the jealousy and rage of the mad, the surface of her newly discovered plane will be permanently shattered by those seeking her demise. Time will only tell if fate allows her salvation from the darkness, or consigns her to the bitterness of eternity, to be caught in its web of lies, deceit and worst of all, love.

* * *

**Misery Loves Company**  
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Part Two: Haunted Pasts  
(1 of 4)

Glancing across the surface of the blue river, the coin-shaped rock skipped nearly thirty feet before plunging into the water. Another followed, though it only stretched half the distance before it sank to the riverbed. Another, the size of his open palm, was raised to meet a similar fate to its brethren, but instead was tossed to the side. The hand that had thrown the rocks fell to the side of its owner, firmly placed on the dirt.

He sighed, watching as the sun began its slow but steady ascent on its way towards its zenith, but it still had nearly six hours until then. The sky was empty at the moment, not even the slightest swirl of white water vapor tainting it. He closed his eyes for a moment as a bell sounded out across the water, striking seven times. He wondered if it had been that long since he'd sat down upon the riverbank. It seemed as though only a moment had past, yet he had been throwing stones for nearly an hour. He did more than toss rocks across the rippling water; he used this time to think.

His bare arms tingled from the cold as did his wet feet, but he ignored the discomfort for it was hardly comparable to the pain he felt inside, the emotional strife that fed his depression. His eyes blinked open and he turned to see his younger brother walking down the incline of the hill towards him. Turning again, he stoically faced the water, a tinge of anger burning within him. It was not for his brother, but he often directed it at him.

"What do you want, Shin-kun?" He found another stone and cast it skidding across the water. "I told you not to follow me." He had no need to see his brother to know that he was scared. "What's the matter?"

Shintaro sat to his right but he did not turn to face him. He could feel his little brother's eyes weighing him, judging him, just like everyone else. "Poppa wants you to come home and get ready to go."

He caught himself from snorting in disgust; after all, it was not his brother's fault. "Was he mad?"

"No," Shintaro whispered, as if surprised by it himself. "He was excited, though, and told me to find you and tell you that we're leaving at nine instead of eleven." His brother paused tentatively, and continued, "I wouldn't have come out here if he didn't say so, I swear!"

He sighed again, looking at the water and watching Shintaro's stone skip nearly twice as far as his best had. He gritted his teeth, gripping his knees to his chest. He hated to lose at anything, no matter how insignificant. "Don't worry about it." His voice sounded brittle to his own ears so he added, "I'm not mad at you." Rubbing his chilled arms, he bit back his anger, trying to calm himself with a deep breath. He could never fully extinguish it, though. It always seemed to build, layer upon layer, until he could no longer stand anyone's presence. He knew that he had the right to be indignant, or at least he hoped he did.

"Okay," Shintaro replied cheerfully, standing. "Don't be mad but dad said that if you don't come this time..."

"I know," he interrupted. "I won't make him mad like that again. I promise, I won't miss any more." The last time that his parents were getting together with their friends, he had refused to go. His father was incredibly angry and his anger had vented on Shintaro too. He might not have liked his little brother much, but he certainly did not want him to be punished when he, himself, made the mistake.

"Thanks," his brother replied solemnly. "I'll go now."

"You can stay," he offered, turning to the boy whose hair was a mess as he squirmed with discomfort underneath his thick clothes.

"Nah, I gotta get ready," his brother said to him, a little less than convincing. "I'll see ya around, though."

"Sure," he muttered, facing straight ahead once more. "Whatever." His brother scurried away as if he'd forced the boy to stay there against his will. He clenched his teeth again, feeling truly alone.

* * *

Warm water gushed from the gleaming metal faucet, slowly filling large bathtub. Kimiko submerged her right hand into the flowing stream of water, testing the temperature. She withdrew it slowly, watching large drops of water slide down her hand and fall back into the tub. Quickly shaking her wrist over the water, she stood and walked over to the shower. The icy water hit her full on, but she clenched her teeth and forced herself to submerge in it. Shivering, she picked up the bar of soap and started scrubbing, eager to be in the warmth of the tub.

Twisting the knob, she shivered uncomfortably as the spray of ice water withered and died. Walking over to the tub, she stepped in and lowered herself in. The waves of warmth were pure pleasure, and she sighed with relief. Closing her eyes wearily, she began to relax in the hot water.

Her dreams had been particularly rough the last night, and she wondered if she would have been better off skipping sleep all together. Mental exhaustion was almost as bad as, and sometimes worse than, physical exhaustion. Sinking lower till the water covered her ears, Kimiko yawned.

Relaxing, she slid until her head submerged underneath the gentle waves of the bath. She opened her mouth, spilling the oxygen from her lungs, watching them rise and bubble to the surface. Under the clear bath water, it seemed almost serene and strangely haunting. The light from the window shone down upon her, but its image was less vibrant, its color filtered. Reality there was different, even though it was no more than a foot away.

The light steadily grew in intensity until she was forced to close her eyes and puncture the peace she felt below the water's surface. Her lids opened momentarily and she reeled back in surprise, striking her head on the bottom of the tub.

"It is good to see you again, Kimiko," the pleasant voice greeted from above the water's surface. Too stunned to reply, she only stared in silence as the spirit continued, "You do not seem so happy to see me."

The wet, torn silks worn by the specter across from Kimiko barely covered her entire figure. Her messy, long black hair dangled past her ear, brushing the surface of the water, and her dazzling green eyes shone with unnatural light. Her pallid skin almost took a bluish tinge upon closer examination, but not dark enough to be casually noticed. A white aura glowed faintly around the ghost, and she smiled placidly. Goosebumps rose on Kimiko's skin as she beheld the specter hovering over her.

After a few more moments of silence passed. Kimiko instinctively took a breath of the water, and her lungs mysteriously filled with air. She paid little attention and spoke anyway. "I didn't think you were real." Her voice carried to its receiver, still sounding doubtful of the ghost's existence. The drip of the faucet echoed across the bathroom, and faint morning light illuminated the room, but no noise intruded upon their conversation. It was as if time stood still for them to talk.

"I am real enough," Lily replied solemnly, staring back serenely. "I'm much more than a figment of your imagination." Breathing heavily, Kimiko only nodded in reply. Her heart thumped so loud that she could swear that the people outside could hear it.

"How do I know that you're real?" she asked, reaching her hand out to the spirit.

Reaching across, the spectre put her warm hand against Kimiko's and whispered, "Would you rather believe that you are crazy, or that you are perfectly fine and that you have a guardian spirit?"

Retreating her hand to her side, Kimiko replied, "The second one."

"Good, love," the ghost whispered, smiling eerily. "I have just come to warn you, nothing more, nothing less." Her brilliant green eyes shimmered brightly, and she turned towards the entrance of the bathroom. "I have very little time, so listen carefully. You will be challenged three times, by three different forces, each of whom has a quarrel with you. Whether imagined or real, it does not matter. Treat them as real threats, or your life may end in this place you call home. Do you understand?"

"Who is—?" Kimiko began, but Lily interjected.

"Do you understand?"

Silently, Kimiko nodded.

"Good, very good," she replied. "I must go now, so remember to never let your guard down, for a friend or even a family member."

The sound of the door to the inner bath opening filtered through the water, and Lily instantly vanished, revealing the interior ceiling. Kimiko drew in a startled breath, but only sucked in water. She instantly sat, sputtering water and coughing violently. She was only vaguely aware of Mayako entering the room.

"Are you all right?" the girl asked, walking to her side. "Swallow some bath water?" She smiled warmly and then walked over to the shower, turning it on.

"I'm okay," Kimiko replied, straightening herself. She coughed once more, clearing her throat. Lily's words burned in her mind, her last message before Mayako's entry more so than the rest. _Why would she say such a thing?_ she wondered sadly. Here she was, returned to this place after nearly twenty years and she was not supposed to let her guard down. _Could Mayako be one of the three Lily warned me about?_ she wondered distastefully, but that was unlikely. Could she even trust the advice itself, or even its source?

Kimiko turned in time to see Mayako stick her tongue out at her. She smiled. Mayako was trustworthy enough. Before Kimiko could return her attention to soaking, the shower turned off. Mayako walked over, putting one foot in the tub. "Oh, it feels good." Kimiko nodded. "So, what are your plans for today?"

* * *

With his eyes intently planted on the back of his father's head, he silently followed his family as they wended their way to the Tendou household, the last place he wanted to be. The many memories of that place resurfaced, each burning as harshly in his mind as the ice-cold wind burned the exposed flesh of his arms. From the moment he started martial arts there with the other students, to the day he stopped taking lessons at the dojo, not one of them was friendly to him, all jealous of his ability, no doubt.

He had been an apt student, and Aunt Akane, the Onos and the two masters of the school trained him more than the others. Many probably figured it was because his father was one of the masters, but he knew otherwise. He was to be the heir of the Saotome style of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, and his teachers, especially his father, wanted him to strive harder than the rest, harder than anyone had before him against some unknown standard. Not a single waking moment had been his alone, and every sleeping hour was spent resting from some horribly exhausting and painful training exercise.

Somewhere he had heard the phrase, "That which does not kill you will only make you stronger." His father had taken that mantra literally, throwing him in any possible situation that could cause pain of any kind, so that he would fear nothing, and overcome any obstacle. Was he, then, the result of such a lifestyle? What had been the cost?

He knew over fourteen styles and variations of martial arts, he had acquired six different black belts which included a fifth degree in the Anything-Goes style, and yet he had absolutely no friends. Even his own brother feared him. He guessed that it was probably best left that way. He did not want friends. Friends held you back. Friends were nothing but liabilities in the face of the Art. Nothing but victory mattered: that he knew, and that he had been taught.

The problem with friends was that you were supposed to like them. How could he like someone he may have to fight sometime in the near future? _You simply cannot pull your punches for anyone. Never, ever pull punches. If you do, then you give them an edge_, he reasoned to himself. The line between friends and enemies was too fine for him to discern. His father's teachings had drilled that into his mind.

There was no time, no place for them either. Who needed them anyway? The answer, he had learned years ago, was that he did. He needed them more than he needed water. He needed someone to pour out his heart to, he needed someone to hang out with when it rained, and most of all he needed someone to back him up, be by his side, inspire him, and everything else a friend was supposed to do.

Oh, but no, friends betray, friends stab you while your back is turned, and the hurt of the loss was too deep to risk. He couldn't take chances like that. When no one's at his back, no one can stab it, no one can betray him. If there was no one, he had to worry about no one. Blanketing his eyes with this philosophy, he tried to live life normally, but when you hated everyone and everyone hated you, it was not easy.

Oh, he'd had a friend once. He was fun to be with; he said they would be friends forever. Then he left. He left without saying goodbye, and that hurt worse than anything father ever did to him. That hurt worse than the rocks, and the fire_**,**_ – and those had hurt a lot, especially the fire. He hated fire. Fire hurts, burns and scars.

But no one would listen to him, not him, the boy who no one liked, the troublemaker, the misfit. No one liked him and no one cared if he lived or died. So, then, why should he care if they lived either?

His gaze then trained on the back of his mother's head. Where was she when he needed her? Where was she when he cried and cried, wailing for her to come to his rescue? Oh, where was she when the fire burned him, when the rocks slammed into his adolescent body? The answer: turning a blind eye. She ignored him, let his father do those things, oh, and she continued to let him. She wanted a manly son, a superior being, one who was more god than man. She wanted him to be the best, to win, never fail. No, never that. You can never fail. Failure was pain; failure was death.

He hated her more than his father, almost as much as fire. She could have stopped it, but she did not. It was not abuse; it was training. Why should she stop his training? It was working, was it not? He excelled in the Arts. He had straight A's in school. Nothing and no one could stop him from any goal. Why should he complain? Why should she interject herself where she was not needed?

Shivering with dormant rage and with the cold alike, he looked between his parents, his supposed caretakers, his would-be benefactors. They walked identically, not in unison, but in stature. His father walked with pride and happiness_**,**_ – in fact, he practically glowed with it. His mother strode down the walk gracefully, with that same pride, that same happiness, that same joy. Why should they, of all people, be happy? Were they not ashamed of what their eldest son had become, their creation, their Frankenstein's monster? Those were the words that his father had used the day before, the week before, and the year before. He had said he was so ashamed to be cursed with such a son, such a disrespectful, uncouth youth. The power behind those words, though denied, stung deeply.

"What is she like?" he overheard his mother say as she quietly spoke with his father. They may have thought no one could hear, but he was not just anyone. Years of intense meditation had made his hearing more acute than even the visually impaired.

"She's amazing," his father replied, his voice hoarse with excitement. "Soun said she fought with skill he had not seen in ages, and he would not exaggerate concerning such delicate matters."

"And you think that she's his?" His mother's voice sounded hopeful and happy, though she normally took the most shocking news calmly, without any betrayal of emotion.

"We do believe that she may be his daughter," his father answered, putting his arm over her shoulder to plant a kiss on her cheek. He almost skipped a step watching that event take place. Rarely did they ever show emotion for one another, and never in public.

"God must have heard my prayers," she whispered in his father's ear.

Their words circulated in his mind, repeating endlessly, trying to extract order from chaos. He hissed inaudibly, unable to decipher their conversation. They spoke of a woman, most likely a girl since she was someone's daughter that they knew. His father spoke of her skills, which he obviously knew to be in the realm of martial arts – his father would not speak of this girl if it did not pertain to it. Though he knew the hatred he felt for his father was mutual, he wondered if the man would take on another student, one who might replace him as the heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes.

Never before had his heritage been challenged, since Shintaro was his only other competitor for the title, and he had absolutely no worries there. Shintaro completely lacked any ambition whatsoever, and his natural ability was average at best. The man had no right to do this to him after all the torture he'd endured for the position.

He truly wondered if this girl had the skills to stand up to him in real combat. A challenge would certainly fix his ever-sinking mood for the present. Not only from the fight: he would gain much pleasure by seeing his father's plans ruined, his schemes against his eldest son, his only true prodigy.

They were silent from that point on, and so he decided to study the boy who strode next to him. His brother looked like a version of himself at that age, though the boy's hair was slightly longer than his. There was no need for long hair. It simply got in the way when you needed to see, and became a disadvantage if an enemy were to latch onto it.

"Mother?" Shintaro asked as the boy glanced over at him.

"Yes, son?" His mother's voice still radiated the joy from earlier.

"Can I stand between you and father?" His brother's voice sounded weak, fearful, and it almost came out as a squeak.

"Sure you can," she replied, moving over to the side. His father turned for an instant, and they locked stares before he turned to his younger son and patted him on the head.

He almost roared with laughter after that. His brother was just scared standing next to him. _Oh, the irony._

* * *

A deep rumble of thunder resounded across the valley's walls as a cold north wind wailed. Black clouds gathered overhead, flashing with streaks of lightning. Hard leather boots trampled over the ground, uncaring of their path, or their destination. As people ran for shelter, one man continued with melancholy determination, tearing his way through anything and anyone that stood in his path.

His cold, lifeless eyes stared towards the horizon, ever watching and waiting for something. What, he did not know, but he did know that something was out there, and he needed to find it, before it found him. Another flash of lightning lit the sky, but he ignored it, stomping ever forward towards his imaginary destination. One day he would find it, and on that day he would stop his meaningless search. On that day his life would be filled again.

Morning light should have shone down upon him, but in the ever-changing world, only coldness and water would fall upon his tired, dusty brow. Traveling, in the old days, was unintentional, but now it was his only release. The maddening call for blood did not burden him here, in this ancient, vast land. He never stopped to ask questions, but rather, he just existed, to be here one moment, and there the next. To settle down, he would have to stand up to his demons, which he could no longer even name. The memory of them had escaped his mind long, long ago – a second to God was an eternity for man.

The rain began then, first as a light shower, and then as the storm he knew it would amount to, winds roaring, lightning crashing and rain pouring. It amounted to little, in the grand scheme of things, and it mattered not to him in the slightest anyway. If he could defeat the greatest martial artists in the world, what, then, was a little storm that could hardly be considered anything compared to him?

In the next moment, his heart skipped a beat and he spun on his heels, prepared for an attack, and yet, the streets as far as he could see were empty. He almost turned to continue his journey, but the nagging feeling he experienced made him dodge hard to his left. Where he had stood, a large fist ripped through the space. There was absolutely no time to size up his opponent, for it attacked him again.

The speed his attacker utilized was admirable, but fell short of being effective in comparison with his sheer skill. Blocking the figure's attacks proved less effective, though, as he realized its strength. A flash of light revealed his attacker, and his eyes narrowed in anger. He should have known this particular bastard would not give up after one fight.

"What's wrong, maggot?" he taunted as his fist connected with his opponent's face. "I already gave you my answer, even though you lost in the first place." He followed that with a nasty combination of punches, but his target vanished, reappearing above him. He rolled to the side, frantically avoiding the aerial attack.

"I don't believe you," a cynical voice replied, though it was more of a feral growl than speech. "Stop hiding him!" Flipping to the side, he narrowly dodged his opponent's following attack.

"What do you think—" he began, tearing through thin air as his opponent became airborne again, "—could possibly motivate me to hide the old demon?" He ducked under the swoop as another flash of electricity illuminated his opponent's enraged form. "He could be dead for all I know."

"You're lying!" it roared back, attacking viciously. "I don't know what you did with him, but you'll tell me now!" He dodged its assault and landed a nasty kick on its left leg, crippling it. Its cry of pain reverberated throughout the village. He doubted if any of the villagers would investigate the noise, but rather dismiss it as the howling of the spirits.

"I'll tell you one more time," he yelled, straining to be heard through the fierce wind. "I don't know where the hell he is, and I haven't seen him for over fifteen years!"

He could hear its strangled panting and knew he'd already won the fight. Yet, it continued its resistance. "You lie." It's voice sounded no more than a hoarse whisper, but he knew that it would never admit defeat.

"Farewell," he laughed back at it. "We'll probably meet again."

Its reply was cut off by the storm.

* * *

Pushing her right hand through the sleeve of her gray silk blouse, Kimiko watched Mayako rush out the bathroom door. Her swift bath showed her eagerness to leave, but Kimiko had little idea why that could be. She almost felt like a leper, the way her friend quickly left her presence, but she could not be the reason. Shaking her head as she rolled up the cuffs of her long sleeves, she continued dressing without thought. Having become so used to them, she quickly slipped into the knee-length, navy blue skirt. Girls here, or at least those she had seen so far, seemed partial to skirts now, even in the United States. Only when it was required did they ever wear pants, but in Mayako's and her case, whenever they could not wear skirts, they would wear pants, which was almost always. _T__omboys_, she silently jeered, shaking her head.

It was not such a big deal, now that she thought about it. Unfortunately, the fact that it did not bother her anymore somewhat scared her, too. Acceptance did not require pleasure. So far, it had not come to that, but she feared it was not far off from her now. The last thing she wanted was to lose her original identity, she thought, almost laughing at the irony of the word original. Ranma might be subdued, but she had yet to completely give up on him. Out there, somewhere, a cure surely existed. Finding it was the main problem, and finding it in time further complicated the matter.

But now, she needed to concentrate on other matters, or more precisely, the Tendous and Saotomes. If she revealed her identity, there was no telling what could happen. Would they accept her, or would they cast her out? Acceptance seemed highly unlikely since she had disappeared without a word nearly twenty years ago. She had to admit that it did look pretty bad on her part. Kiyoshi would back up her story, of course, and if she revealed a few facts that only she could possibly know, they might believe her, especially considering her current physical condition: young. Only then another problem would arise. She would almost surely scare off her new friends. That, combined with not being able to marry Akane, or even having any other type of relationship with the older woman, made it seem like a very poor choice.

To be Ranma, or not to be Ranma, that was the question. She buttoned the blouse to the top and tucked it into her skirt. Kiyoshi would be taking her out of this place soon, and she figured it could not hurt if she wore her mask a little longer. At least this way, she still had friends who did not consider her a freak of nature, and she could still see Akane without bringing the past slamming into her present. Sometimes, the past was best left in the past, and that sometime was probably now. Too bad it hurt so much.

Looking into the mirror, she straightened her crimson hair, pulling it back into a ponytail and tying it with a small red ribbon. Sighing lightly, she pushed her belongings from the sink's counter and into a large duffel bag she had brought from her room. She paused a moment, and then carried it into the outer bath, leaving it in a corner. Noise from the living room echoed into the bathroom, and she curiously walked out to investigate.

Silently, she crossed the hall and walked through the house until she stopped at the stairs. The door was ajar and she heard noise outside, but left up the stairs, hesitant about prying into anyone's business. She was about to knock on the door to Mayako's room when it opened, revealing Mayako.

"Hey," she greeted, walking towards the stairs as Kimiko moved aside. "Come on and I'll introduce you." Kimiko stood there for a moment, pondering Mayako's words when the girl turned and grabbed her hand. "They won't bite!"

"Who—?" Kimiko blurted as her friend pulled her, dashing towards the stairs.

"You'll see!" Mayako replied, literally jumping down the last section of the stairs. Kimiko had an instant to react, but she managed to land safely without crashing into Mayako.

The girl's abrupt halt had a reason, and he stood in front of them, larger than life. The fact that he looked exactly the same struck Kimiko as very odd, considering he was probably forty-five years old now. His benevolent smile reached his eyes even through the thick-rimmed frames she remembered him wearing. He still wore his light brown hair in a small ponytail though lightly brushed with gray, and even his attire was relatively similar to the outfits he wore back when. One of his hands was on Mayako's shoulder, the other casually placed behind his back.

"You should really be careful on stairs, Maya-chan," he gently scolded, smiling more broadly. "Especially when you're dragging friends behind you."

Giggling, Mayako leaned closer and hugged Dr. Tofu, whispering, "It's nice to see you too, Uncle Tofu."

Kimiko gulped, inching back from the two. She silently scolded herself for the fear. Why should she fear Dr. Tofu? The man certainly could not be one of the three Lily had warned her about, and he would definitely not cause her harm. She reconsidered and struck the last from her list: he could identify her.

"It's been a while since you've visited me at the clinic, so you must be well," he told her, patting Mayako's back.

"I'm fine," she replied, pulling out of the hug. She then turned to Kimiko. "Kimiko, this is my dear Uncle, Tofu Ono. Uncle, this is Kimiko Nishiyama." He bowed forty-five degrees, and she bowed lower, nearly gritting her teeth.

"It's nice to meet you, Nishiyama-san," he greeted, which she returned. When he blinked, and readjusted his frames on his face, she weakly smiled. "My, you look awfully familiar. Have I met either of your parents?"

_Oh yes_, she thought dryly, _and you've met me before too_. "You may have, Ono-san." Oh, the lies and half-truths, and how easily they flowed from her mouth.

He peered at her quizzically for a moment, but then fell into his happy, carefree demeanor again. The answer must have satisfied him, for he bade them farewell and walked into the living room. Sighing with relief, she watched his back until he disappeared from sight.

"Let me introduce you to the rest of the Onos," Mayako proposed, taking Kimiko's right hand. The honest joy radiating from the girl even made the redhead smile, but as they pushed through the front door, Kimiko inhaled sharply.

Shaking her head with a light chuckle, Akane stood on the brick walk happily talking with Shampoo. Akane's long black hair had been bound with a thin cotton string, swaying with the movement of her head. Her casual smile filled Kimiko with warmth, and her eyes reflected the morning sun's light. The end of her soft yellow dress ruffled with the chill wind, but she showed no signs of discomfort, though the matching jacket she wore was thin enough to see through.

Across from Akane, Shampoo stood with her arms crossed, smiling warmly. Her beautiful purple hair was curled in a bun while long sidelocks adorned each side of her head. She wore a thick, red sweater and a long, black skirt that reached past her ankles. She nodded slowly, replying to something Akane had said.

Mayako reached the pair of women in the next moment with Kimiko in tow, and waited until the two turned to face them, rather than rudely interjecting herself. Their gaze was enough to make Kimiko gulp with anxiety.

"Auntie Shampoo," Mayako said, addressing the violet-haired woman with respectful tones. "I would like you to meet Kimiko Nishiyama."

Shampoo's benevolent eyes alighted upon the redhead, widening slightly, her lips curling into a thoughtful frown. There was less than a moment's pause before Kimiko bowed, whispering her greeting.

"It's nice to meet you, Nishiyama-san," the woman replied with a slight bow. "I am Shampoo Ono." Her voice had matured as well as her manners since their last meeting, but that was entirely unavoidable considering the amount of time spent between then and now.

The adults' attention immediately returned to their conversation, which they carried with them into the house. Reiko and two others, hidden in the shadows of gate, conversed with openly argumentative tones.

"I'm not always late!" a male voice protested.

"Yes you are, baka!" Mai insisted, loud enough for Kimiko to recognize the voice. "If Mother and Father hadn't woken you, you'd still be in bed!"

"So?" Ryosei Ono, Mai's brother, hissed, putting his hands behind his head. "I happen to enjoy my vacations, thank you very much." His next step fell short of its place, nearly causing him to trip over himself. He regained his composure, peering at Kimiko.

"Hello, Ryosei," Mayako coolly greeted, sinuously approaching him. "Looking as unattractive as ever, I see." Her insult was off base, for he actually was a rather handsome young man, if not pretty. Between his pretty face, brown ponytail and long bangs, curling inwards to hang in his eyes, at first glance Kimiko almost thought he was a she, but yesterday she had quickly distinguished his gender by his muscular upper body and his easily discernible male voice. The gi top he wore did nothing to conceal his corded biceps, but his baggy trousers concealed his leg muscles, which were probably just as impressive. He had already thrown his jacket over his shoulder.

"Good day, Mayako-san," he replied just as coolly as he walked up to her. "I see you still appear to be a man at first, and second look."

Kimiko honestly expected Mayako to attack the impudent male on the spot, though his remark was just as crude as hers. To her utter amazement though, the boy and the girl both laughed. Pulling him into a hug, Mayako probably squeezed the breath out of Ryosei, though he too probably hugged her harder than required. A show of strength between warriors, Kimiko supposed.

The young man withdrew from her embrace with a smile, and turned his eye to the redhead. "And so we meet again, my dazzling star." If the day could have held any more surprises, it certainly could hold nothing more unexpected than the moment he fell to his knees, lifted her hand gently and slowly kissed it. He released her hand. "If anything awoke me so suddenly today, it would be for our meeting on this cold morning."

"I guess," she replied, crossing her arms under her breasts. "It's nice to see you're still alive." Mai already had walked around them and was on her way with Mayako, strolling toward the house. Reiko still stood behind Ryosei, politely waiting.

He laughed, turning to Reiko, but addressed both girls. "Let's head in and get some breakfast."

When Kimiko turned, Ryosei politely hooked his arm around hers. When she turned to protest, she saw Reiko being escorted on his left. With a sigh, she shook her head as they entered the household.

* * *

"You would have been well advised to have brought your coat as I told you, son," Genma coldly told his eldest child.

"I'm not cold," Rintaro shot back, fighting hard to control his shivering. Unfortunately for the boy, his skin betrayed him with goosebumps. "Concentrate on walking, or you might fall down." The unspoken insult "old man" did not even need to be spoken.

The morning's weather had been painfully cold to him, and he wore a thick jacket, as did his wife and youngest. Genma did not particularly like the long walk from his home to the Tendou's, but he did need to exercise now and again, and his wife certainly was in good enough shape to keep pace. He glanced back to his eldest again, before contentedly increasing their pace.

"Are we almost there, Poppa?" Shintaro asked impatiently, squeezing Genma's hand.

"Yes, son," he replied. "There is only one block left."

The boy squealed with delight, and whispered, "I can't wait to see Eiji again." Genma smiled down at the child, wishing he could begin again with the young man calmly walking behind them.

"Are we almost there?" Rintaro mockingly asked, drawing close. "I just cannot wait to see all of my most wonderful friends." The venom laced with sarcasm almost caused Genma to turn and scold the boy, but he kept his calm.

"If you are so impatient, Rintaro, than why don't you run on ahead? I'm sure everyone will be just as delighted to see you too." He spared his eldest a half-glance.

"Maybe I'll take you up on that, Father," the young man said, walking around them. He put his arm on Nodoka's shoulder briefly, and after she nodded, he sped into a full run, turning the corner.

"I fear, not for the boy's manners, but of his intentions, dear," his wife calmly told him, too calmly.

"Yes, love," he replied. "But I doubt he'll upset the party." His wife looked at him, raising her right eyebrow. He shrugged helplessly and returned her look. "Much."

Only the howling wind greeted him as he pushed open the gate to the Tendou's residence. He sprinted across the red bricks, only to stop and knock on the front door. Pausing for only a couple of seconds, he turned the knob and nudged it open. Ryosei and Reiko turned to face him as he entered. He smirked, shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked through the door into the foyer of the house.

Ryosei's black pants rippled with the frosty wind as he held the door open for the young man entering. "Hello, Rintaro." The coolly bitter greeting rang pleasantly in Rintaro's ears as he recognized the disappointment hidden within it. The boy's eyes were fire, fueled with resentment, dislike and maybe even jealousy. The two young men might have once considered each other allies, but now they were hardly even that.

"Ryosei," he indifferently acknowledged, nod. "Greetings, Reiko."

"Hi," she replied sweetly. Her brown hair was not bound behind her head as he remembered her wearing it, but rather it fell across her shoulders and back. She was one of the few individuals who could stand his presence, and vice-versa.

"We missed you last time," Ryosei lied, closing the door behind the dark-haired youth. Rintaro turned to face him, a very light smirk growing on his face. He figured that Ryosei truly despised him. "Where's your family?"

"They're several blocks behind me," he replied, standing in the foyer without any intention of making the first move. He looked at the ponytailed boy for a moment, and then passed his gaze to Reiko. She folded under his gaze, and turned to Ryosei. He also turned to him, addressing him. "Did Tofu-sensei come with you this time?" Dr. Tofu was a strange man, but he was an incredibly talented martial artist with more knowledge than anyone else Rintaro knew. Talking shop with him was tolerable, if not enjoyable.

"Yes, my father is with us," the brunette boy answered, a bit of acid resonating in his voice. Ryosei was probably jealous of Rintaro's friendship with his father. "He's in the living room if you wish to see him."

"Thanks," he whispered. Sensing the subtle demand for his departure, he walked past them and into the hall. Rintaro had barely even crossed into the hall when he overheard something that turned his smirk into a wide grin.

"There goes the party," Ryosei whispered to Reiko.

"Ryosei!" Reiko scolded, but all further comments on her part were muted as he approached the living room.

Nearly crashing into him as he rounded the corner to the living room, little Eiji burst past him, running at his top speed to avoid capture. The person that followed was not as fortunate and ran straight into Rintaro. Reacting on instinct, Rintaro knocked the figure aside, barely stabilizing himself in the process. Kenichi expelled a pained grunt as he fell onto the floorboards. Rintaro looked down at the Tendou boy, realizing a moment later that he could have seriously hurt him, but the thought quickly passed.

"You might want to watch where you're going," he told the fallen youth smugly, standing over him. Kenichi's eyes narrowed as Rintaro held out his hand to help him up.

"No thanks," Kenichi told him, standing. The boy's eyes held less dislike for him than Ryosei's, though how much less, Rintaro did not know. "How come you missed last time? Scared of our rematch?" He smiled slightly at this, for they both knew that he would almost never be a match for Rintaro.

"Of course, mighty Kenichi Tendou," Rintaro replied sarcastically. "I had decided that of all the reasons for me not to show, your rematch was enough." If anyone was a good sport about losing, Kenichi would be the one. He at least tried to make an effort to be civil; not that Rintaro returned it.

"I better go catch the rug rat before he thinks he got away from me," Kenichi said, excusing himself. "He'd never shut up about it then." Rintaro nodded, walking past the other into the living room.

The familiar scene of a casual Tendou morning lay spread out before him, and as he entered, he tried to stifle a yawn. Three figures sat around the shoji board, Tofu Ono, Master Soun and a girl with long, bright red hair who had her back to him. A crash from the kitchen indicated that Shampoo Ono was embarking on their hopeless, bimonthly journey to teach Aunt Akane to cook more than rice without utterly ruining the dish. He shook his head, regretfully remembering the last item she managed to prepare. Its incredibly bitter taste still lingered in his memory. _Thank God for takeout_, he mused to himself.

Drawing closer to get a better view of the redheaded newcomer, he wondered if this was the person his father had spoken about earlier. Less than ten feet stood between them, and not one of the shoji players had noticed him approach. The redhead did not seem out of the ordinary in any way, besides her abnormally crimson hair, and she looked a little too small to even be considered for training under any proficient masters.

With a silent, deep breath, he began to focus his eyes to ease past the physical plane and into the spiritual one. Any artist worth paying attention to would at least glow in the blackness that he drew to himself, and a chi master would burn like a red coal in the darkness. This separated the strong from the weak, the believers from the heretics, and the true fighters from the talkers.

She shone like a brilliant star, her distant light growing increasingly brighter the closer his chi came to hers. He was forced to close his eyes then, as the illumination of her life energy suddenly leaped towards him. He could smell her, the sweet perfume of soap; he could feel her, tender flesh pressed up against him; and he could taste every inch of her, a bead of sweat on her forehead and day-old, dried tears on her cheek. From within her depths, energy stronger than any he had faced before pulled his entire essence from his body, and he was helpless as it drew him in.

Suddenly dislocated from his body on the prime material plane, he tried to cry out in pain as he was torn asunder. Agony shook his existence as the energy pulled; he had no chance to fight back. Madness shone from his eyes, memories from childhood driving him backwards into the depths of his abyss, the silent, sightless hell he created for himself after being sent into unconsciousness from his father's endless training. He cackled, realizing that this was the end, eternity in the one place he thought to hide once, without thinking that he could be trapped here permanently. Silence could be worse than the agony at times, but there had always been a balance before.

Just as despair began to overwhelm his sanity completely, a calming hand rippled through him, holding his deafening thoughts at bay. Like water to a dehydrated man, he welcomed the flush of pleasure. His captor held him in limbo, examining every inch of his soul.

Words echoed into him then. "Reach not where you do not belong, young one." A pale face broke the inky blackness of his prison and peered at him. Its bright white eyes bore through him, and its lips moved, creating more sound. "Remember that the next time you attempt to bind my host's essence with yours. Your existence ends the moment the consideration crosses your mind."

With that, reality violently crashed into him, and he reeled, barely holding his essence from shattering. A horrible tearing sensation that felt as if someone was trying to suck out his guts with a high-powered vacuum pump returned to his body. His pain vanished, the pleasure faded and sight returned to his eyes.

Jarring awake as if he had been standing comatose, Rintaro jumped forward, barely catching himself from tripping and falling onto the redhead he had been watching moments before.

Laughter rippled behind him, just as Soun and Dr. Tofu chuckled from his front. The girl twisted at the waist to look at him, the hint of a smile forming on her face. Rintaro spun to glare at his assailant, but his anger slipped when he saw that his Aunt had sneaked up on him.

"A little bit jumpy today, Rin-chan?" Akane asked before drawing him into a hug. Rintaro absolutely despised the nickname she had given him as a child, but he always ignored it, for she was one of the few that actually liked him. If someone else even whispered it near him, though, he would pound the living daylights out of them.

"I was just admiring the sunny, warm day outside, Aunt Akane," he sarcastically whispered as his senses fully returned to him, though he still focused on what had happened. Was his experience merely a vision, he wondered, or was it as he felt it had been? For that matter, what did he feel that it had been? He decided to sort out his thoughts later.

Akane released him and smiled, her hands still remaining on his shoulders. She gently spun him around and whispered, "Introduce yourself, silly."

The redheaded girl stood before him nervously, straightening her navy blue skirt. He was tempted to let his eyes linger upon her well-endowed chest hidden within the close-fitting gray blouse, but his manners kicked in and he bowed.

"I am Rintaro Saotome," he said, introducing himself. Her face seemed to whiten the moment he spoke his name, though nothing else affected her visibly.

"I am Kimiko Nishiyama," she replied, and as she bowed, her loose red hair fell from behind her ears and over her shoulders. By the time she righted herself, the color had returned to her face. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Saotome-san."

"Likewise, Nishiyama-san," he returned with a nod. For the first time, he took in her appearance deeply. By her hair, he figured her to be a Joketsuzoku Amazon in light of Shampoo's heritage and unnatural coloring. His first idea might have been might have been a wild guess, but her facial features further reinforced that idea, because she appeared vaguely Chinese. He had seen some Amazons from Shampoo's village before, for some of the youths who ended up having to travel to Japan seemed to make a pilgrimage to the middle-aged woman when they were in the Tokyo area. Half could barely speak Japanese, while the rest had heavy accents, or at least some recognizable flaws in their speech. Kimiko had none from the little he had heard her speak.

"What brings you to our gathering, if I may ask, Nishiyama-san?" He resisted the urge to clench his teeth and scream. Why had it not occurred to him sooner? Kimiko Nishiyama was definitely a Japanese name, though she did not look like a native. If he did not pay more attention...he let that thought slide.

"Kenichi-san and Mayako-san invited me," she half-whispered, hanging her head as if suddenly finding the wooden floorboards interesting.

"Soun!" Dr. Tofu admonished, replacing a shoji piece to its proper position. "You know better than to cheat against people other than Saotome-san." The lopsided grin on his face broke the effect of his berating. Kimiko turned to face the board again and quickly sat to guard the rest of her pieces. Rintaro assumed this was the ending of that short-lived conversation.

Master Soun chuckled. "Habit," he admitted, replacing a few other pieces he had stashed up the sleeve of his gi shirt. "I don't need to cheat to win this match."

"We'll see," Kimiko replied, moving a piece and extracting a low moan from Soun.

Turning from their game, Rintaro slid open the door to the back and exited the house. He needed to think alone.

* * *

The steady beep of the machine echoed in Masami's ears as he sat in the corner of his friend Michio's hospital room. Shadows seemed to gather around the boy, though the lights were on. Three teenagers, about ten feet from where Masami sat, stood over the sleeping, injured boy, their words filled with outrage and contempt. They had every right to it, though, especially after yesterday's embarrassing defeat.

Out of the four of them who had fought the redheaded demon, he had suffered the least, simply being knocked unconscious when his head collided with the ground one too many times. The others had been beaten before that point. Seiko remained in fairly good condition, though she had a few broken ribs and torn pride. Michio had obviously taken the brunt of the redhead's attack, landing himself a broken leg. Shoji was in the room across the hall with numerous fractures and abrasions, but no one wanted to talk to him after yesterday's events. He was far too irritable today.

Seiko leaned up against the wall next to the head of Michio's bed. The other two young men in the room were Jotaro Saito, Michio's older brother, and Kojiro Yoneda. Jotaro was the eldest member of their group and definitely the strongest. He stood nearly a foot taller than even Shoji, their leader, and he was about six feet tall. He could have been Michio's clone, if not for the height difference of about a half-foot. Unlike his younger brother, though, Jotaro was even-tempered and wiser than his years, and yet he vehemently turned down the position of leader when they had first offered it to him. Perhaps that was more of a wise decision than Michio had thought.

Kojiro Yoneda had only gritted his teeth when Seiko had furiously related the story to him. He would constantly push his slim fingers through his spiked, bleached hair, and his eyes consistently danced from member to member as if one planned to stab his back. His dismal, black apparel suited him well, for the boy was a total downer when it came to conversations. He kept his responses brief and to the point, even when the others expected more out of him. For once, he actually stood over Michio's prone body, giggling at the strange position the doctors had set his leg to occupy.

The two other members of their group, Katsumi Aomizu and Rina Nomiya, were purposely absent. They had left early in the morning to find out more about the redhead, Kimiko Nishiyama. Katsumi was originally told to do it alone, but knowing his close relationship with Rina, she inevitably followed. Seiko had only scowled when the two left together; she was not fond of her little sister falling in love with Katsumi, the weakest member of their group.

A tickling sensation was Masami's only warning before a sneeze violently shook his body.

"Shit!" Kojiro exclaimed, suddenly alarmed. "God damn it, Masami. How come you always have to sit in the darkest corner? You were so silent that I forgot you were there." The bleached blonde placed his open palm over his chest, taking a deep breath.

"Pay more attention to your surroundings, Kojiro," Seiko berated. "You won't be caught off guard like that next time."

"If he pays any more attention, his eyes will pop out," Masami quipped, putting his hands behind his head, sitting far back in his chair.

"Shut it, all of you," Jotaro told them, his gaze still fixed on his baby brother. "Tell me again how this Kimiko knocked you into the brick wall."

Seiko sighed, shrugging her shoulders helplessly. "How am I supposed to know how? One moment I was standing there, ready to be hit, and the next it felt like someone had tossed me across the alley. I hardly felt her touch me, and she certainly didn't leave a mark where she touched." When she finished, she shook her head, rubbing her bruised cheek.

"Besides the marks up and down your body?" Masami asked with feigned politeness, grinning wryly.

"That's enough out of you, Masami," Jotaro commanded, glaring at him. "She handled you pretty easily if what I hear is true."

"She fucking kicked my ass is what she did," he replied. He turned his head, unwilling to listen to any more talk, but what Jotaro said next caught his attention.

"Well, I'm guessing she's at least an instructor of whatever art she practices," Jotaro told the group, frowning. "We know that Ryosei's a good fighter, and some of his friends are even better, but not one of them could have taken the four of you like that."

"What about Rintaro Saotome?" Kojiro questioned, honestly intrigued with the older boy's assumptions.

"He hardly counts," Jotaro answered, rubbing his chin. "He fights about as much as my mother does simply because no one with any brains would fight him once, and definitely not twice."

"Um, Jotaro?" The three teens turned to Masami. "Your mother's a professional wrestler."

"God, shut the fuck up, Masami!" The even-tempered boy seemed ready to breathe fire over him. "One more word from you and your ass is grass!" Masami turned his head again, feigning that he did not care.

"As I was saying," Jotaro continued, turning his attention to the other two. "Saotome doesn't count because he doesn't join anyone's side now anyway. Only the Tendous would really help Ryosei out of a jam, and it would take the three of them to take the four of you. Seiko's almost a match for Kenichi, though I'm probably the only one who could possibly take Mayako alone." He massaged his left side in remembrance of an old wound. "And that bitch is incredibly tough. But Seiko and Masami could handle her, though they'd probably take a beating, and the fight would last for a good deal of time."

As Jotaro paused, he looked down at his younger brother. The whole situation reminded Masami of the first time their group brawled Rintaro Saotome. Two years ago, Jotaro and company dominated Furinkan and they had only been freshmen at the time. Seiko and Jotaro were the only ones old enough at the time to be in high school, and Rintaro was the sole member of the opposition there. As it turned out, Rintaro challenged Jotaro to a fight after school, but Saotome brought Mayako with him. Masami had thought everything was in order, since he was only there to act as a witness, as he assumed Mayako to be, but Rintaro had pretended that he had no idea that there was a fight. He had said that Jotaro was trying to jump him while he was unaware.

Whatever Rintaro had said next to Jotaro, Masami completely forgot, but it sparked a fire within the even-tempered boy that he had never seen before. Enraged, Jotaro attacked blindly and struck Mayako by accident when Saotome had dodged. Immediately, Rintaro and Mayako attacked. Even when Seiko and Yoshi arrived, though they were not supposed to, the four of them could not stand up to Rintaro and Mayako. Yoshi was nearly killed; Jotaro and he had been thrown in jail, while Seiko escaped before taking any serious hits. Masami shook his head with disgust. Seiko always managed to escape.

They dominated him and his friends then, and now another one showed up on the scene to take four with only two. If Rintaro was still a member of Masami's enemies, there would be no chance to win their respect back. With only Ryosei, Mayako and Kenichi, they had the advantage, but now...

"Considering this new girl took Seiko, Masami and Michio all in a minute or two," Jotaro began, breaking Masami's train of thought, "I'd say she's easily a master. She might even be able to take Rintaro out in a one-on-one, though I once swore that it would be a cold day in hell before that would happen."

"I'd like to see Saotome beat the shit out of Nishiyama," Seiko added, promptly yawning. The thought of turning Rintaro to their side, at least long enough to beat Nishiyama, sent chills down Masami's spine.

Jotaro looked at her, his eyebrows slanting in thought. He hummed, his eyes returning Seiko's questioning stare.

"What is it?" she asked, putting her right hand on his shoulder. "You've got a plan!" She grinned when he nodded. "Tell us!"

Nodding, Jotaro looked at all of them before speaking. "With this new girl clobbering us on our own turf, I say push her out, and I know exactly how to do it." Even Masami stood and drew in close as the eldest told them his plot.

* * *

Closing her eyes with a deep sigh, Akane leaned against the kitchen counter, her hands clenching its edge. The wall of patience she had surrounded herself with had begun to wear thin. She had managed to cook several meals before, and they had all turned out quite edible, quite the contrary to the stew she had concocted today. One sip of the grotesque slime was all that was needed. She did not even argue when Shampoo dumped it in the trash.

A gentle hand rested on her shoulder, comforting the struggling cook. Akane turned to her best friend with a smile, but even she felt that it was a bit forced. Her eyes sank and she relaxed her grip on the counter.

"Why does it always turn out like this?" she asked rhetorically, lifting her hands to stare at them as if they were a curse upon her femininity. She sagged her shoulders, releasing another heartfelt sigh.

"Well," Shampoo began, pretending to count numerous reasons with her fingers. Akane grinned, pressing her left hand to her forehead. Shampoo gently squeezed her shoulder. "You just need to relax, Akane. Just keep it simple and do it slowly, and you'll get it eventually. I promise."

Nodding slowly, Akane put her hand on Shampoo's. "I remember someone telling me once, 'Keep it simple, stupid!' Of course, it only made me more angry and I punched him through the kitchen door!" Akane and Shampoo chuckled, but suddenly Akane's humor died and her knees wobbled slightly.

As Akane began to fall, Shampoo caught her and wrapped a steady arm around the woman's waist. "What's wrong, Akane?" The urgent concern in her voice woke Akane from her stunned silence.

"I—I...that is..." she began, staring at the floor. She looked at Shampoo, her eyes pleading. "Ranma told me that." Shampoo looked away, breathing in deeply. "It was only a week or two before he disappeared. He was trying to help me cook, and he was actually helping for once, but..." Her voice trailed off and she wrapped her arms around herself.

"It's all right to think about him, Akane," the purple-haired woman told her solemnly. "That's all we have left of him now, anyway. Memories of a boy that everyone loved so deeply." Shampoo turned to her then, smiling playfully. "Cheer up. Maybe what he taught you last will help you cook now."

With a weak nod, the raven-haired woman dreamily stared at nothing. "Sometimes I think he was only in my dreams, and that I never really lost him, as if he only existed in my imagination." She turned back to Shampoo, lowering her eyes. "Then I'd wake up and realize he really did exist and that I did lose him. We never had a chance to enjoy what we had."

"Stop talking like that, Akane," Shampoo replied. "How come you're thinking about him all of a sudden? I thought you came to terms with this years ago?" When Akane did not answer, she questioned her further. "Is it because of Kimiko Nishiyama, Akane?"

As crystalline tears began to spill down her flushed cheeks, Akane turned away from Shampoo. "No, what would make you say that?"

"Only two reasons," Shampoo told her, putting her hands on Akane's shoulders. "Because she practices martial arts far beyond her age and she looks like Ranma did when we first met him. I'm guessing it has a lot to do with the second one."

Conceding, Akane nodded, glad that she and Shampoo would not be bothered for a while. Her hand reached down the front of her shirt, grabbing hold of the small locket dangling between her breasts. She unhooked the golden chain on the back of her neck and held it out behind her, which Shampoo took.

"It's not the hair or the similar appearance, really," Akane confessed, turning her flank to Shampoo, looking over at her as she stared at the pictures in it. "It's her eyes," she said faintly, almost whispering. "She has his eyes, Shampoo. Not just blue eyes, his eyes."

"How long have you had this?" Shampoo asked, holding up the open locket.

"I've had it for sixteen years." The everlasting warmth faded from Akane and she no longer felt anything but the pain of Ranma's loss all over again. "I cut those out from two different pictures and hid them in the locket when my husband started throwing everything of Ranma's out, or giving it away." She had protested, but he had told her that keeping his stuff at the house would only be a constant reminder of Ranma. Everyone else agreed, but it hurt worse losing almost everything that tied him to her than it did to have the objects around, especially the pictures. Nodoka took most of those.

"I remember that," Shampoo stated. "Those were hard years for everyone." Placing the chain around Akane's neck, she re-clasped it. "What you said earlier, about Kimiko having Ranma's eyes...what did you mean?"

Shrugging helplessly, Akane wished that she knew what she had meant by that. For a brief instant yesterday, their eyes had met and she had recognized the deep blue eyes of her former fiancé. "My father and Genma believe that she's his daughter."

Gasping with shock, Shampoo put a hand to her mouth. "You think they're right, don't you?"

Akane could not answer her and only remained silent. She had not really decided for herself, and thinking about it only hurt more. Old wounds were once more fresh, burning slashes cut across her soul, and its poison coursing through her body. She wiped her face with her arm and then tried to dry it with her cotton apron.

"Let's talk to her," Shampoo suggested, walking to the door of the kitchen, spying through the circular glass-cut top part of the wooden door. Akane only looked at her incredulously. "I can always do the talking while you just listen in."

"Okay," Akane agreed. She then took a deep breath, trying to calm her shaken nerves. Following the purple-haired woman, she shook her head. A week ago, if someone had told her that she would break down upon seeing someone who resembled Ranma, she would have laughed. It did not seem so funny at the moment, though.

Her father sat across from Kimiko, while sweet Doctor Tofu watched from the side of the shoji board. From the scowl on her father's face, Akane guessed that Kimiko was winning.

"Sorry, Tendou-san," the redhead told Soun, bowing from her sitting position.

"Good job," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

At this moment, Akane and Shampoo sat down, one on each side of the girl. Shampoo opened her mouth as to speak, but Eiji burst into the room with Shintaro, the youngest Saotome child, in full pursuit. Eiji positioned himself between Kimiko and his mother, circling around when Shintaro tried to catch him. Akane almost cried out in protest.

"Can't catch me!" Eiji teased, sticking his tongue out at the other boy.

"Why don't you two take your game outside?" Tofu suggested, motioning to the closed door to the backyard.

"It's cold outside," Eiji complained, narrowly dodging Shintaro's lunge. Akane smiled and slid out of the way, allowing Shintaro to charge his opponent. With nowhere to dodge, Eiji braced himself and both of the boys fell sprawling on top of Kimiko.

"Ow," Eiji whined, sandwiched between two other bodies. "Get offa me, Shintaro!" When whole group of adults began to laugh, Eiji started to giggle. "I'm stuck."

"Allow me," Kimiko said as she stood, lifting both of the boys up with her. Adjusting them in her arms, she held them both upside down by their legs. "Both of you want down?"

"Yes!" Shintaro whispered with a giggle, trying to wiggle out of her grip.

"No!" Eiji giggled, holding his arms to his chest.

Walking forward, the girl cleared the area of the shoji board and set them down, much to Eiji's disappointment. "I'll give you three seconds to get outside and hide!" The boys immediately bolted towards the door, barely remembering to open it before plunging headfirst into a sprint.

"I'll play you later, Doctor Tofu," Kimiko promised as she began to chase after the children, shutting the door behind her.

The remaining four adults all sat around the shoji board in silence, until Shampoo broke it. "She certainly gets along well with the children."

"Yes," Soun replied, nodding with a smile. "She'll make a fine mother some day." He scratched frizzled mustache idly, staring at the shoji board. "An amazing child, that one is. She planned the whole game, right from the start. I could see it in her eyes."

Any further comments were cut short as the next family entered the house. Genma and Nodoka both carried covered baskets as they strolled into the living room. As the four sitting around the shoji board stood to greet their friends, Akane glanced back to where the children were playing. Her questions would have to wait for later.

* * *

Within the bright dojo, the twins circled one another each one ready for the other's attack. Cracking his knuckles, Kenichi prepared for his sister's rush. The gleam in her eyes left little doubt in his mind as to what her opening moves would be, though she rarely ever fought with anything less than with her full effort. As if predicting the outcome of their fight, she stood across from him wearing a cocky smirk. He curved the right side of his mouth into a lopsided smile, signaling the beginning of their match.

He quickly sidestepped her lunge kick, striking her outstretched leg with a closed fist, hard enough to cause her to lose her balance. Unfortunately, he was not quick enough to redirect his body against her and she deflected his counter-punches with impossibly quick blocks. Never one to give up on a failed attack, Kenichi continued to assault his sister with punches. She almost managed to block every one, but the last slipped past her defenses, grazing her chin.

Caught off guard by his successful strike, Mayako tripped backwards and fell onto her back, dazed by its power. She immediately turned over onto her side, grasping her chin.

Quickly falling to kneel next to her, Kenichi leaned over his sister. He furrowed his brows and slowly put his hand on her shoulder. "You all right?"

Turning quickly, Mayako punched him in the stomach, grabbed the folds of his gi shirt and tossed him over her side. Automatically curling into a somersault, Kenichi rolled to his feet.

"Of course I'm fine, stupid," she told him as he dusted himself off, pulling on the ends of his shirt in a poor attempt to straighten it to fit his body. "You always fall for my crocodile tears, don't you?"

"Whatever," he replied, turning to face her as she rolled to her feet. Somehow she always managed to turn his victories into defeats.

"He actually managed to knock you down, Mayako," Ryosei commented, grinning smugly from his spot next to Reiko at the edge of the dojo. Both Mai and Reiko had become fairly accustomed to the bickering, and they chatted between each other unnoticed by the others. The ponytailed boy stood, further driving his teasing into Mayako's skull. "You're losing your edge."

"Shut up, Ryosei," Mayako muttered, turning her attention to her brother. Their antics never ceased to make Kenichi chuckle. His sister's eyes turned dark. "How did you hit me, Ken?"

Wondering the same thing himself, he cupped his chin as if giving it deep consideration. Mayako narrowed her eyes, folding her arms under her breasts. A moment later, he shrugged and turned, walking to the edge of the dojo.

"I'm not done with you!" Mayako exclaimed, running to catch up with him. "Just 'cause you got me once doesn't mean it's over!" By the time she did stand next to him, he had already taken a seat next to Mai.

"Yes, it does," he replied, grinning up at her. "You said before the match that the first to be knocked down loses."

She grumbled, playfully kicking his shin. "Well, I want a rematch then."

He considered it for a moment, but decided to quit while he was ahead. He probably would not survive round two anyway. "No thanks." He rested his back against the dojo wall, putting his hands behind his head. Beside him, Mai and Reiko giggled.

"Ha-ha, laugh it up," Mayako mumbled, turning away from them. She began to walk towards Ryosei who had already taken a fighting position in the middle of the dojo. "Get ready, Ryosei! If I can't kick Ken's ass today, I'm gonna kick yours."

"You promise?" Ryosei quipped, broadening his grin. "We can always go to your room and you can kick it there."

Kenichi turned to the girls at his side and asked, "Reiko, do you know if Kimiko is still playing shoji with Grandfather Soun?" He had not seen her since he chased Eiji through the living room nearly twenty minutes ago. The thought of leaving her alone with his relatives scared him. Knowing his grandfather, Kenichi guessed that the old man had probably already devised a plan to marry her into the family somehow.

Shrugging her shoulders, Reiko gave him an apologetic look before continuing her conversation with Mai. He definitely did not wish to join their girl talk, and watching Mayako splatter Ryosei across the walls seemed even less interesting. Rising swiftly against the side of the dojo, Kenichi took a deep breath. The clock above the shrine read 10:00. Such an early start for their gathering, he thought.

Silently padding across the clean, wooden floor of the dojo, Kenichi left in search of Kimiko. His thoughts turned inward, reflecting on his brief friendship with the redhead. Strange coincidences riddled his memory, from their accidental encounter at the airport to her pre-existent ties to his family, which he had only learned about today. The fact that they would have met regardless of their first meeting made it seem even more fated.

As the cold air penetrated his reverie, he gritted his teeth, not allowing his thoughts to falter. Her tear-stained face and wide-eyed expression remained imprinted on his memory as he searched for her. The urge to record the image onto canvas began to burn within him, and he decided to begin it tonight. The only reason he did not begin this instant was that he would much rather spend it with the girl herself.

Rewarded sooner than he expected, Kenichi rounded the corner of the house to see her running from his little brother and Shintaro Saotome around the blue waters of the koi pond. Smiling, he spied them from afar and realized he was not the only one doing so. Not more than ten feet away, Rintaro Saotome stood, nearly invisible within the shadows. That setting suited the dark-humored boy, Kenichi decided, approaching his side.

"Kenichi," Rintaro acknowledged, not stirring a muscle.

"Hey," Kenichi greeted, realizing Rintaro did not even have to look over to realize who had approached him. "Whatcha doing?"

"The same as you," the dark-haired boy responded, turning his head to face him. Kenichi did not like his gaze. It always seemed as if Rintaro were looking into your soul, to see what lay there, peeling you apart layer after layer. "Beaten by your sister early, perhaps? Or did you actually managed to defeat her this time?"

"I got lucky," Kenichi told him neutrally, watching Kimiko run and narrowly dodge the little boys' tackles.

"That's all it takes, usually," Rintaro told him, also turning his head to watch. "A little luck is what you need to win, though sometimes even that's not enough." Kenichi looked at the older boy again, searching his face for any sign of emotion. As usual there was none. His blank face was impossible to read, though sometimes you could see depression in his eyes. Expressionless, emotionless, uncaring: these were all words easily associated with the dark youth.

"You must have a lot of it then," Kenichi replied, hoping for any response beyond a quick grin that would fade as quickly as it appeared. Not even receiving that, he watched Rintaro turn for a moment, as if in consideration, only to turn away again.

"I just use what luck I have efficiently." Rintaro's response was dry, lacking any feeling.

_So bitter and so empty for one so young_, Kenichi thought, frowning at what his old friend had become. Looking into Rintaro's pale blue eyes, Kenichi could swear that they would pull you in just to fill the void in the boy's life.

He had not always been like that. Kenichi and he had somewhat been friends when they were children, though Rintaro's training limited their interaction to only one day per week. When the older boy began school, they grew apart and they both made other friends, though most of Kenichi's were shared with Mayako. Only within the last few years had Rintaro begun to change and close himself off from everyone. No one really knew who he was now.

"Be careful with that one, Kenichi," Rintaro stated flatly.

Raising an eyebrow, Kenichi stared at him, confused. "What do you mean? Careful with who?"

"Around Kimiko Nishiyama," the dark-haired boy replied coldly, turning to face Kenichi. His pale blue eyes seemed to glow in the shadows. "Don't mess around with her."

Even more confused, Kenichi frowned. "What do you mean?" Taking offense at the simple mention of not being with her, he easily filtered out his pity for the eldest Saotome child. "Why do you even care?"

"She's a dangerous one," Rintaro continued, not even recognizing Kenichi's question. "It's as if she were a stick of dynamite and someone's already lit the fuse. A relationship with her will only speed up the fire, if not detonate it." He blinked, meeting Kenichi's stare. "I wouldn't want to be around when she explodes."

Believing Rintaro to be a time bomb himself, Kenichi turned his head away from the dark youth, watching the two younger boys catch Kimiko, only to fall with her into the koi pond. He chuckled, turning back to Rintaro whose expressionless face had not even turned to see the commotion behind him.

"Remember what I said," he told Kenichi, walking past him curtly. Before he left earshot, he spoke one final piece of advice. "I wouldn't even mess around with her at all, if I were you. She's bad business."

"But you're not me," Kenichi muttered under his breath as he began walking to Kimiko. "And thank God I'm not you."

Sopping wet from her plunge, Kimiko stood facing away from him, ringing out the bottom of her blouse. Kenichi's little brother and Shintaro both remained in the pool to splash each other as the koi scattered from the youths. Turning in his direction, Kimiko smiled as she squeezed water from her gray blouse, which was now nearly transparent and clung tightly to her skin. Leaving little to his imagination, her wet bra now conformed to the shape of her breasts and showed him the outlines of her nipples. She released her grip on her blouse, covering her washboard stomach.

"Before you say anything," she began, rolling her sleeves up to her biceps. "I meant to do that." Glancing over to the boys leaving the pond, she brushed her wet bangs out of her eyes with her hand.

"Do you want to drip dry, or do you want me to get you a towel?" Kenichi asked, stopping to stand beside her. Though his words were flamboyant, he felt his stomach turn over, and a slight blush colored his face. He should have turned away and been a gentlemen, but the sight before him was too much to release. She did not notice, and took a step closer to him.

"Akane-san's getting us towels," she replied as she rested her hand on his shoulder. Her chill, damp hands sent sparks down his spine and sped up his heart. "I told her to bring four."

His mind began to shut off, but he managed to ask, "Why four?" As he recognized the light fragrance of her damp hair and the smell of mint toothpaste, the thought of her body so close energized him.

"Because you fell in too." Before he had a chance to react to her words, she drew him up against her for a brief second, right before twisting and lifting him. Though it seemed to take hours from the point his body limply rested upon hers to the point she tossed him over her hip towards the water, it did not take long for him to crash into the center of the shallow pool.

His head punctured the surface of the koi pond, as laughter pierced his ears. Spitting out sour water, he coughed. Regaining his senses and shuddering at the unexpected cold of the pond, he wiped his eyes. While his brother and Shintaro had already fallen down laughing, Kimiko only stood on the edge of the pool, holding out her hand for him. Though he should have been angry for the cheap tactic she had pulled to throw him into the water, he was not. Her blue eyes twinkled with enjoyment, a light they had probably been lacking in recent times. Unlike his sister, who could be quite vicious at times, Kimiko genuinely seemed playful, not intentionally trying to humiliate him. After all, she had fallen in as well.

Sliding to the edge of the pond, Kenichi firmly took Kimiko's offered hand, when the moment wiped away his sensibility. As if time had slowed to a crawl, he felt her sluggishly begin to haul him out of the water with her right arm. With one sharp tug, he countered her strength. For less than a second she resisted, but she did not have the leverage to sustain her position. Yelping in surprise, Kimiko fell forward. The lethargy of the moment manufactured time between the instant she slipped off the edge of the pond, and when she fell into his arms, like some fantastical dream right before he woke up.

Her wide eyes met his as their bodies collided and descended into the pool. The water slapped the back of Kenichi's head as he once more submerged into the cold water. She hovered above him as he tried to sit upright with her on top of him. Though the chill of the water was draining the warmth from their bodies, he still felt flush when he managed to push his head above the surface. His face pressed up against her, and only too late did he realize just where he had his open mouth. Disengaging his face from her breasts, he shifted to sit up straight to sit eye level with her. He could numbly feel her sitting upon his lap, one leg on each side of his waist. Her warm breath caressed his face, her hands firmly held his shoulders, and her slender body trembled against his.

He had not been this close to her since she had pinned him to the dojo mat the day before, he realized. Like hers, goosebumps rose on his arms as he very slowly placed his hands on her hips. She made no protest and did not even try to get off of him. It felt almost as if his body was on autopilot and he was just a vessel, helpless to stand by and watch. She only shivered as he tilted his head to the right and drew in close, sliding his eyes shut. A surge of adrenaline flooded his veins, his stomach cramped and a thousand other sensations overflowed his awareness.

And their closed lips met. She felt so warm in contrast with the water, that he only just began to feel their close embrace, the hardness of her nipples pressed up against his chest, his arms completely encircling her tiny waist, her hands grasping the back of his neck. He could feel her rapid heartbeat in close comparison to his own, taste the salt of her lips, and smell the sour water on her skin. The torrent of emotions burning within him made every inch of his body tingle, but just as his yearning for her was being sated, the moment ended.

A voice, familiar yet unrecognized cried out, "Is everything okay, Kenichi?" Kimiko pulled away from him and stood, leaving him there to shiver in the pool. Unable to move, he continued to sit as his mother handed Kimiko a towel. "Kenichi, are you all right?"

"He hit his head when he fell in the koi pond," Kimiko explained, her voice distant and hollow. Shivering uncontrollably within her towel, she looked at him with her brilliant blue eyes, the pain within them shining through for him to see. His stolen kiss had affected her demeanor, he could tell.

"Come out of the water and let me have a look at your head," his mother ordered, holding out a white towel for him. She looked at Kimiko for a moment, and then turned her face back to him.

Standing gradually, despite his shaky knees, Kenichi acknowledged her and slowly walked to her. Wrapping the towel around him, she took his shoulders and asked, "Where'd you hit your head?"

Shrugging, he clenched the towel to himself, unable to find warmth in it. As Akane began to probe his head for concussions, he looked past her at Kimiko who still stared at the water shivering, as if someone still sat there.

"You seem okay," his mother told him, smoothing back his hair. "You had me worried, sitting there like that in the pond." He turned his attention to his mother and smiled wearily. "I'll start the bath for the two of you, if you want." He nodded eagerly, but Kimiko did not even turn her head to acknowledge anything. "Kimiko-san?"

"Huh?" the redhead asked, shuddering abruptly as if someone had jumped out of the bushes, about to pounce on her. She turned, her eyes distant as she draped her towel around her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Akane-san, what did you ask?"

Akane smiled, approaching the girl. "Would you like me to warm the bath for you?"

"Oh, no thanks," she replied, avoiding Kenichi's eyes entirely. "I did soak my only clean clothes, though." She turned, a sparkle of sunlight reflected off her eyes for an instant before her hair fell in her face, sticking to her skin. She quickly pushed it out of her eyes.

"I'm sure Mayako won't mind lending you some," Akane told her, placing her hand on Kimiko's shoulder. "I can take you up there right now, if you want." With a solemn nod, Kimiko acknowledged Kenichi's mother, and she shied her eyes from Kenichi's as she followed the older woman into the house.

His face appeared as blank as his thoughts were, confusion from the recent events still gripping him. Everything had started out like a fairy tale, a moment never to be forgotten. Her strange behavior after the fact did not fit into the puzzle he had begun to construct. He closed his eyes and brushed his lips with two outstretched fingertips. The bittersweet taste of her lips still remained, as did his whole impression of the moment, her wide green eyes, the feeling of her arms around his shoulders, her body pressed against his. What could have gone wrong?

Blinking his eyes open, he furrowed his brows. "Green eyes?"

* * *

The Nishiyama Clan  
Kimiko Nishiyama (14-17?): Formerly Ranma Saotome (18), locked in female form.  
Kiyoshi Nishiyama (20s?): Formerly Happosai (?), unknown cursed status. Owner of Nishiyama, Inc.

The Tendou Clan  
Soun Tendou: Head of the Clan  
Kasumi Tendou: Wife of Mousse, homemaker.  
Mousse: Husband of Kasumi, currently on tour with his rock band.  
Nabiki Tendou: Executive at Nishiyama, Inc.  
Akane Tendou: Wife of Ryouga, teacher at the Tendou Dojo.  
Ryouga Tendou: Husband of Akane, whereabouts unknown.  
Reiko Tendou (17): Daughter of Kasumi and Mousse.  
Kenichi Tendou & Mayako Tendou (15): Twins of Akane and Ryouga.  
Eiji Tendou (7): Son of Akane and Ryouga.

The Saotome Clan  
Genma Saotome: Husband of Nodoka.  
Nodoka Saotome: Wife of Genma.  
Rintaro Saotome (17): Son of Genma and Nodoka.  
Shintaro Saotome (11): Son of Genma and Nodoka.

The Ono Clan  
Shampoo Ono: Married to Tofo Ono. Manager of Ucchan's in Nerima.  
Dr. Tofu Ono: Married to Shampoo Ono. Local chiropractor.  
Ryosei Ono (16): Son of Shampoo Ono and Dr. Tofu Ono.  
Mai Ono (15):Daughter of Shampoo Ono and Dr. Tofu Ono.

The Kuonji Clan  
Ukyou Kuonji: Owner of Ucchan's chain restaurants, currently lives outside Nerima.


	5. Part Two: Haunted Pasts (2 of 4)

**Misery Loves Company**  
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Part Two: Haunted Pasts  
(2 of 4)

Kimiko felt anything but calm as she entered Mayako's room, closely following her once-and-never-to-be-again fiancée. If she had thought her life was out of her control before, Kimiko certainly realized the meaning of the words now. Like a roller coaster swiftly cruising through some hideous reality, her life was taking some incredibly dangerous turns while spinning in a loop. Before, she'd had the choice to simply exit this world in which she was a part, but at every turn, it felt like something was dragging her closer to the point of no return.

Damned is how she felt, cursed to live a lie until the day she would die. The woman in front of her made her feel so many different emotions, from love to depression, and yet it did not even seem to be the same person she had left behind anymore. Controlling her jealousy and anger, she tried to focus her concentration on something far more eminent than her fallen love life: the stolen kiss in the pond and what had resulted thereafter. It could have been nothing other than a twisted nightmare...

* * *

I fell forever, through time and space it seemed, into a warm, lover's embrace. A cool mist shrouded the small pond, wrapping us within the cold waters. My heart leapt at the indignity of how I fell onto Kenichi, like a parasite clings to its host, my body landing on top of his, my legs around his waist. Warmth flushed my face as I began to recover from the fall, but something stopped me, and made me look a second time. Through locks of my wet, black hair, I fully recognized my true love beneath me. So taken was I with her that I barely even realized that I had regained my manhood, restored to my true gender, and Akane restored to her true age. I sat on top of her, reeling with shock and delight.

Akane took advantage of my temporary paralysis, pushing herself from beneath me, sliding up against my body to face me. A steamy breath gushed from my gaping mouth, and my eyes were so wide that I must have looked downright silly, gawking like a school child staring at a mountain of candy. Through the cold of the water, I felt as if I was covered with gasoline and lit aflame, burning with passion. My hands firmly grasped her shoulders, as if to check if she were real and truly there at that moment in time. I wanted to shout my undying love, pull her into an embrace and kiss her for all eternity, but all I could do was sit there, shivering.

Something tugged at my mind, warning me that everything was not as it seemed, but I ignored the urge to pull away. My dream seemed to be coming true, the both of us given back our rightful bodies, neither too young, nor too old. It was as if our love had conquered both the wicked nature of fate and the irreversibility of time. As Akane's soft, cool hands crept around my waist, I believed it to be so.

With not a breath spared for talk, Akane pulled me so close that our warm flesh seemed to meld. Gingerly kissing me, her soft lips barely brushed mine at first, but then our kiss deepened as she grew more aggressive. I yearned for nothing more than to drink from her lips forever, and an eternity it felt to be. My hands groped the back of her neck as I pushed my fingers into her raven-black hair. I could not feel anything else but her as the two of us became one again.

Then something strange happened, of which I can barely describe. My body's sensation shifted within an instant, the whole center of my existence being altered. Fiery pleasure from my chest became readily apparent as former stiffness became a more subtle, yearning ache. It was so sudden that it felt like the air was knocked from my lungs without being struck, and yet the burning need for my partner remained. Only, Akane rapidly felt different as well—harder, taller, stronger.

Like a mallet of reality slamming against my head, the familiar voice, which I did not expect to hear until we had finished kissing, called out from behind me, as if her voice had become displaced from her body. "Is everything okay, Kenichi?"

Kenichi. The name flashed in my mind for a second, and the sensations of my body translated within my mind. Kenichi Tendou, so similar to my Akane, and yet so very different, was the one whose body I sat entangled with, sharing body as well as soul, with me on top, Kimiko Nishiyama, so similar to Ranma, and yet his complete opposite trapped within the same body. The familiarity of my female body plagued my awareness, as did my original need to flee. I needed to leave before I became trapped within myself, imprisoned within the cell of torment and fright of who I had been.

My body grudgingly responded as I broke the contact between Kenichi and myself, the warmth of his embrace singing promises of pleasures untold, like sultry sirens before they murdered the sailors unwittingly drawn to them. Kenichi's eyes never left mine as I retreated, and like never before I regretted my actions. I highly doubted my sanity at that moment, realizing the confused hallucination I had experienced during my inadvertent tryst with Kenichi.

"Kenichi, are you all right?" With that, someone wrapped a warm towel around me, like a protective cloak, warding off the demons as well as the cold. Realizing that Akane, not my Akane, held me steady, I knew I needed an excuse, if not for the mother of the child whose innocence I had compromised, then for my own sake. A little white lie, seen as embarrassed discomfort by anyone other than myself, was what I needed. "He hit his head when he fell in the koi pond," were the words that came out of my mouth. Hiding behind a pitiful excuse was what it felt like to me.

I returned Kenichi's longing stare with my own confused and sympathetic one. Water blurred my vision, but he stood out as clear as the sun. I could only wonder what he was thinking, now that our friendship was spoiled over a miscommunication of intentions. As I thought about it, he might not have even realized anything was wrong.

As Kenichi gradually left the cold pool, my eyes lingered there. Our earlier floundering vanished as time quickly washed away the chaos, regaining its intended serenity. From the center of the water, gentle waves caressed the surface, like rocks skidding across a lake. I could see my wavy reflection in the water, a waterlogged young girl aged far beyond her years. My eyes radiated loss and sadness as I pushed an idle hand through my knotted, red hair. The mirror image stared back just as solemnly, and I wondered which was Kimiko, and which was the reflection. As if silently crying out for help, the watery visage shook with fear and vanished, as if she had been pulled down, so far down, into the depths of the icy cold water.

Something inside of me cried out in utter terror, though I spoke not a word. Two forces yanked me in opposite directions, but the fear seemed too overwhelming for anything else to contest. I could only stare at the pool in horrid fascination as it reached into my soul with its placid fingers, stealing my conscious awareness and pulling me in. I tried to fight the fright welling up within me, but something superseded my frantic efforts for emotional and conscious control, someone else's dread, and someone else's phobia.

If a cat had jumped in front of me at that moment, with its teeth and claws flashing, I doubt that I would have noticed. So pure, so translucent was the water my gaze fell upon, that even the details of the rocky bed below stood out in full detail. Strangely, a lack of koi in the pond made me quiver in fear, though I did not know why.

A cool blanket of mist descended upon my surroundings, like they had in my earlier hallucination of being with Akane. That is when I felt a tremor from the pool—not an earthquake, or anything natural, but a shift of the natural balance of chi surrounding me. Powerful energy radiated from the waters, but I could only stare, petrified with terror.

Rotted blue hands broke the surface of the water, enough to cover the entire pool. My mind screamed to flee, but I could only stand, watching as they reached for me. They grabbed at my bare legs, their powerful tugs pulling me off my feet. The back of my head struck the ground as I fell over, and they began to drag me into the water. The paralysis that had held me still lifted, and I quickly sat up to fight the hands, which now took hold of my skirt and thighs, ripping and squeezing. Wincing as my bare feet touched the icy cold water, I attacked the closest of the hands with fierce punches. I shredded the topmost ones with my blasts, but as one would fall away, two more would take its place. More and more seemed to sprout as the water reached my knees, and they started to grab my wrists and the skin of my lower torso now exposed by my tattered blouse, though I wrestled them with all of my might.

With tears streaming down my cheeks, the intense cold bit me as my waistline met the water. If I could have screamed, everyone within twenty miles would have heard my cry. The iron grip of each hand sent waves of pain streaking throughout my body, and as the freezing water reached my breasts, my cries were nothing more than a muffled sob, for they held my head still, covering my mouth. When I felt the cold hit my chin, I filled my lungs with air one last time, ready to be totally consumed within the depths of the pool as my image had before me.

A blue haze distorted my vision suddenly, and my body went totally numb. The pain was a distant concern as darkness crept over, wrapping me in its wintry embrace. I only vaguely recognized the cold of the water, feeling so detached from myself, floating somewhere past reality. Sensations at once ceased, and for that millisecond, I thought the emptiness of death had taken me.

And then I heard a faint, rapid noise. It gradually grew in volume until it became recognizable, the sound of a horse's gallop; adding to that, a jarring, uncomfortable rocking movement chafed against my inner thighs. I felt remarkably well, especially considering my earlier experience, albeit a bit tired. I tried to pull myself awake, but my body did not respond, and I supposed I had been rendered unconscious. Explaining the why and the how of ending up on a galloping horse was another story.

Gradually other sensations broke my dreamless slumber: the strong smell of leather as well as its roughness against my face; the sound of gentle breathing around whom my arms grasped. I guessed that I was behind the rider of the horse, but I still could not help but wonder what I was doing there.

Content for the moment, I relaxed my efforts to awaken. Strangely, though, my eyes flashed open of their own accord. Stung by the brightness of noon, my eyes fluttered a few times. Confusion crept into my heart, and my head jerked back with a start. Worst of all, I did not purposely move my body.

"Juniji?" The words passed from my lips, but I did not speak them. The voice, though, did not sound like my own. With a very feminine tone, it came out much lighter and more drawn out than mine. An uneasy fluttering in my stomach drew my attention from the lack of control for a moment because of its strength.

"Yes, my lady, it is me," a deeply masculine voice responded from in front of her, muffled by their travel.

"What happened?" Again, by no choice of my own, my lips moved, I drew breath and I spoke.

"You and your escort were attacked by the Emperor's men while you were being transported to your father's estate," the rider told her, slowing the horse to a trot. "They would have been successful in kidnapping you had I followed Bei Ling's orders to never come near you again."

Warmth replaced the uneasy feeling in my stomach as I unwillingly rested my head against his back again. I recognized the feeling washing over me as we rode on. Only in Akane's presence had I felt the like: love which I could feel for no other. The warmth I know felt was for the man I held in my arms. As sick as I wanted to be, no emotion I thought I should feel was experienced.

There was only one logical explanation I could conclude upon: I was dreaming. The fact that rotting hands were not groping me, my evil twin was not anywhere nearby, and demons were not dancing around a pickled, cooking redhead made this dream quite pleasant in comparison, though I was a bit hungry. I have had some seriously disturbing dreams before; this was nothing. It was just the first time I did not have any conscious control of my dream body.

"Thank you, Juniji," my host whispered into his ear, smiling. "I owe you my life twice over now."

"Lady Sun Li, I swore that I would let no harm befall you before," Juniji began, resting his hands on hers. "And I meant it. My life is yours. My heart is yours." With a content sigh, Sun Li seemed to purr in response. Even in a dream, I felt the need to wince from the sound, though of course I could not.

"I love you," she told him firmly, affectionately squeezing his rigidly hard ribs. I could only guess that he wore some sort of flexible metal armor underneath his coat.

"And I love you, my sweet lily," he replied, stopping his horse underneath a large tree, its trunk reaching so high into the sky that I could not see its end. A light, sweet breeze gently ruffled Sun Li's long black hair, and she closed her eyes, breathing it in deeply. With one deft motion, he dismounted from the horse, softly leaping to the ground. Reaching out, he lifted Sun Li with his arms extended and set her down.

"I thought we'd never stop to eat," she whispered in his ear as she hugged him, and I could not agree with her anymore. The knot of hunger in her stomach was beginning to annoy me. After all, I am used to stuffing my face whenever I am able.

He smiled as he withdrew from her grasp, taking the reins of the horse. "Let's move further off the trail. I don't want to attract any attention." Sun Li blushed uncomfortably, looking away. He chuckled in response. "The Emperor's men will still be looking for you, my love. I will not give them the chance to abduct you while I still draw breath."

The two of them walked for a short time, until they were invisible from road. Juniji found small dirt clearing between two large ferns, and if they were to sit, the shrubbery would conceal their position, except for the horse. From his saddlebags, the warrior produced a wide, thick wool blanket, which he spread out upon the ground. Motioning for her to sit, he unceremoniously plopped on the ground; the exhaustion he felt was obvious.

"Are you well, love?" Sun Li asked as she gracefully sat next to him, putting her arm around his broad shoulders.

"I am tired; that is all." With a deep sigh, he begins to unwrap some trail rations from a waxy paper. "Forgive my lack of appetizing foods, but I did not expect company." He actually sounded embarrassed saying that as he handed her decent sized a portion.

"If dirt were the only food I could eat near you, I would eat dirt," she told him, resting her body against him. His thick leather coat padded him well, but the body armor beneath made it uncomfortable; however, Sun Li spoke not a word in complaint. He seemed to realize the problem, though, for he prompted her to sit up as he untied the coat from around his neck, revealing a chain mesh body armor, woven so tightly that it almost appeared to be a single plate instead of a web of metal. He slipped his arms into the body of the armor.

"Would you help pull it over my head?" he asked. Without responding, she pulled the armor at his neck, lifting it over his head and hurting her fingers in the process. He took the armor from her and placed it out of the way.

"How do you normally get out of it, if you cannot do it yourself?" Sun Li wondered aloud, laying her back against his chest, and he wrapped one arm around her. She took a bite of the trail ration, disguising her dislike for the bitter food with a smile. The flavor reminded me of something Akane would cook on a good day; that was not really saying much for it, though.

"Normally, I do not," he replied, taking some of the food for his own. "This really is pretty bad, isn't it?" With a giggle, Sun Li nodded in complete agreement.

"When we last met, you didn't wear your armor then?" she questioned, taking another bite.

"I usually do not in your presence, unless I expect danger."

"Oh," she replied, and then yawned deeply. Craning her neck back, she looked into his eyes. "Not expecting danger, sir knight?" He smiled and leaned forward, lightly brushing her lips with his own. He held her securely, his left hand cupping the back of her head in support and his right on her left shoulder. The taste of his lips was ecstasy for her, and that I truly knew, for I experienced it as well. Nothing I could do or think could change it, either, for I was Sun Li, and she was me. And in that moment, I was whole.

Whether only a moment or an hour later, the darkness crept upon me. I did not know if I welcomed the escape, or dreaded it, so clouded was I with Sun Li's emotions, especially her love, her acceptance of his lowly station, her remorseless choice to be with him against the society that raised her. Billions of souls occupied Earth, and yet I was alone again, encased within inky black detachment from Sun Li's body and mind. As perpetual as the loneliness felt, I knew it would have an end. I did not believe in eternal suffering, for every soul has its place in the world, until the body is dead, decaying under the surface, never to feel the warmth of the sun upon the flesh and the passion of a lover's farewell breath.

It was not my time, I told myself as a pinpoint of light shone through the covering of the void within which I existed. That light reached out for me, taking my hands gently. I expected the warmth that light usually bestowed to warm my frozen soul and pull me from my hell, but the chill of water and the presence of damp linen that I slowly became aware of were far from warm. A soft hand on my shoulder startled me, restoring my former consciousness. Akane, Kenichi and the rest of reality flashed in my mind, reminding me where I stood, and what I had done.

* * *

It was nothing but a twisted nightmare, Kimiko reminded herself as she silently shed her sodden clothing. Peeling her undergarments from her body, she then took the ones offered by Akane, a sports bra and panties with Sailor Moon prints. Though she had to suppress a shiver at the thought of Sailor Moon pictures on her underwear, she could not help but wonder why Mayako had them.

"Yen for your thoughts," Akane told her, smiling lightly. Something in her eyes shone, some secret knowledge that Kimiko needed to be wary of.

"I was just wondering why Mayako had Sailor Moon panties," Kimiko answered, fighting giggles. "I didn't know they were even popular anymore."

With a chuckle, Akane shook her head and handed Kimiko a choice of shirt and pants. The only ones remotely wearable were stupid-looking in their own right, a blouse with Hawaiian prints and a pair of tight sweats. The rest seemed to befit a ten-year-old girl better than a sixteen-year-old martial artist.

"They had a resurgence a several years ago when Mayako was thirteen," Akane explained, raising an eyebrow at Kimiko's selection of clothing. "They were one of the few pairs I could find that would fit you. Mayako has grown up and out a lot in the past few years. Don't tell her I said that, though." Nodding, Kimiko put on the clothing.

"The kids are all fighting in the dojo, if you're interested," Akane offered, ruffling Kimiko's hair with the towel after the girl had put on the blouse. "I'm sure one would offer to fight you."

* * *

A violent wind howled as Mai watched Reiko exit the dojo to get an ice pack for Ryosei. Mayako had only scowled at the thought of even needing the item, but Reiko insisted that it could not hurt. Mai agreed fully with the elder girl's suggestion. She did not want to take any chances with her older brother.

"You didn't need to hit him that hard, Mayako," Mai admonished, holding her brother's unconscious head in her lap. Even a blow powerful enough to send him reeling into such a senseless state was not enough to wipe the brazen grin off his face. Noticing stray hairs falling out of his ponytail in bunches, she untied the thin cord that bound it.

"He asked for it with that last insult," Mayako retorted, huffing and crossing her arms over her breasts. She looked over her shoulder at him sympathetically, but turned her head back quickly.

"He did, but you still didn't need to knock him out," Mai replied, her voice just loud enough not to be considered a whisper. Pulling Ryosei's hair back tightly, she retied the cord for his ponytail.

"I go away for a few minutes and Ryosei's out cold?" Kenichi called out from the entrance of the dojo. Mai blushed as she looked up at the young man. With a towel draped over his shoulders and a sodden gi clinging to his body, very little was left to her imagination. He seemed to glow with a rare burst of confidence as he sauntered across the blue mat of the dojo, leaving a damp footprint with each step.

Spinning to face away from him, Mayako grumbled something unintelligible. Mai knew that she was still angry that he had beaten her so swiftly earlier and had not allowed her the chance of a rematch. Mayako was just that sort of person; losing was not a part of her vocabulary. Mai had heard her call it "temporary defeat" once, and it always seemed to be that way. No matter how hard she would have to work, she would always come up on top in the end. How on Earth she had developed such a demeanor was beyond Mai, especially considering Mayako's mother, one of the gentlest and most benevolent people in Tokyo.

Ryosei stirred in her lap as Kenichi stopped next to her. "He okay?" Mai looked up at the drenched boy, smiling at his honest concern. She nodded quickly and turned back to her brother. Kenichi shrugged. "Slap him around a bit. He'll wake up."

"Don't you dare, Kenichi Tendou!" Reiko scolded, entering the dojo unheard. "The last thing he needs is anyone hitting him more...why you have to fight in the first place..." She let her words die, for they only met heathen ears. Reiko glared as Kenichi chuckled and walked into the boy's locker room. Mai giggled, taking Reiko's offered cold pack.

"Hit Ryosei anymore and he might lose his last brain cell," Mayako scoffed, unceremoniously dropping in front of Mai. Although her words insulted Mai's brother, Mai knew better. Through it all, Mayako was concerned when it came to her friends, no matter how confident of his condition she seemed. Somehow she thought that her eyes seemed to show more than just concern, though. Probably guilt, Mai supposed.

"I heard that," Ryosei whispered, and then hissed as Mai pressed the cool plastic pack to his forehead. "Stronger than any horse, but just as ugly."

"You're not making the situation any better, Ryosei," Reiko told him, sitting down next to him and Mai. Mayako only shot him a dark glare from her position in front of Mai.

The hiss of the shower faintly sounded through the piping around the dojo. Mai colored faintly just thinking about who was taking the shower. Turning her attention back to her brother who still lay on her lap, she flipped the cool pack over.

"I wonder how Kenichi got all wet," Mai thought aloud, letting her grip on the cool pack slip. It slid down and Ryosei caught it as it passed his nose. "Sorry, brother."

"No problem," he replied, sitting upright. "That was some kick, Mayako." Mai watched his back tense slightly as he fought to right himself completely.

"Thanks, I think," Mayako responded, looking at the dojo wall. Addressing Mai, she dryly commented on the girl's earlier question. "I think Ken found the koi pond was nice this time of the year." Reiko and Mai giggled. "From the look on his face, he did more than fall in, though."

"Yeah, he looked happy," Mai added, resting her chin on her brother's right shoulder. Ryosei slopped the cool pack on the top of her head, causing the girl to giggle again.

"Maybe Rintaro pushed him in," Ryosei suggested, taking the cool pack and pressing it against his head.

"Rintaro wouldn't do that!" Reiko protested, rocking on her knees.

"Plus, why would he be happy about being pushed in by Rintaro?" Mayako glared at Ryosei, challenging him.

"Hell if I know," he shrugged, dropping the cold pack to the mat. "Maybe Kimiko-san pushed him in. I'd even be happy about that."

"Pervert," Mayako muttered, turning her head. She turned back with an evil grin. "Better yet, maybe she pulled him in!" Ryosei and Reiko laughed out loud, leaving Mai to stare towards the locker rooms mutely.

"And I'm a pervert?" Ryosei mused, pushing himself to his knees. "What if he pulled her in?" Mai jabbed his back with her index finger, shaking her head. "Hey, it could happen."

"Why don't we bet on it?" Mayako proposed with a lopsided grin. "She pulled him in, I win. He pulled her in, you win."

"How do you know Kimiko was even in the pond?" Mai interjected defensively. Truthfully, she hoped neither pulled the other into the water, or pushed for that matter. Silently scolding herself for her jealousy, she frowned at her brother's back.

"Kimiko had to change her clothes," Reiko informed them with an innocent smile on her face. When everyone looked at her dubiously, she elaborated. "I asked Auntie Shampoo where she was when I got the ice pack."

"It's settled then," Ryosei concluded, holding his hand out for Mayako. "If I win, you and me, and Kenichi and Kimiko go on a double date. And you pay for it all." Mai giggled when she saw Mayako grimace as though someone had told her it was time for a dentist's appointment.

"Well, since I know Kenichi is not the type to pull girls into cold bodies of water," the twin began, taking Ryosei's offered hand, "I'll agree to it. When I win, you owe me a week of free okonomiyaki."

"Deal!" Ryosei exclaimed, shaking her hand vigorously.

By his attitude, Mai guessed that either way Ryosei had accomplished his goal: to get Mayako to agree to do anything near him. It was no secret that he fancied Mayako, but then again, he really did not hide his attraction to anyone. That was the greatest problem he had in keeping a relationship with girls. If Mai had a yen for every woman he'd hit on during a date with another, she would be only one yen short of a million.

The hum of the shower withered and died as Kimiko entered the dojo, followed closely by Rintaro, their heads close in conversation. The four teenagers on the mat watched them in silence as they neared them.

"How much is 'sort of'?" Rintaro asked of her.

"You know, I've practiced some," she replied nonchalantly, hooking her hands in the pockets of some pants that Mai recognized as a pair of Mayako's black sweats.

"I don't spar with amateurs," he said in a monotone voice.

"I didn't say I was an amateur," she responded, sitting down two feet from Mayako. Her hair took a deep shade of crimson when wet, Mai noticed, wondering what really did bring the two to fall into the koi pond. She knew Kenichi liked the redhead, but she had no idea whether Kimiko felt the same about him. Mai hoped not.

"She beat me," Mayako cut in, playfully sticking her tongue out at Rintaro who seemed neither impressed nor surprised with the statement. Mai most certainly was, even after seeing the girl in action. Then again, Rintaro was notoriously stone-faced. Mayako then added, "She'll give you a run for your money, Rintaro."

Rintaro sat down close to and facing Kimiko, quite daring and open for him, Mai thought. If it were not for the height and hair difference, she might have considered the two brother and sister. Their facial features and eyes looked similar, but Kimiko was much too cute to be his brother. Mai could admit that even though she was still bitter about Rintaro hurting Kenichi the last time they had fought.

"Then you want to spar?" Rintaro asked single-mindedly, not paying attention to anyone else. Mai always thought he was much too serious, and the little interaction she'd had with him only solidified that view.

"I guess," Kimiko answered, crossing her legs. "I hope you're as good as you think you are."

Mai supposed that if a pin fell, everyone would have jumped when it hit the ground. No one had ever challenged Rintaro's skill like that before. Challenge him, yes; but question his skill? No. The young man was like the anvil of martial artists; everyone was broken on him at least once. He certainly made for a good ego-deflation device, because even grown adults lost to him. Rintaro had the best of both worlds: speed and power. Most only had one or the other, like the twins. Kenichi had power and Mayako had speed. While they complemented each other very well, Rintaro was a team of his own. He would plow through a group faster than Mayako could, and yet harder than Kenichi.

Rintaro's cold blue eyes only radiated curiosity, never outrage or anger. That was another of his strengths. He never let anything get to his head, and he rarely bragged about his victories. His ability to stay cool while angering his opponents was legendary among the fighters of Nerima. He would be a perfect catch for any girl other than the fact that he was also as closed off as a box without hinges, door or lid. Nothing seemed to affect him, and he did not care for anyone but himself, it seemed to her.

"I never think, Nishiyama-san," he replied neutrally. "I only am as good as I know myself to be. I also hope that you are as good as you seem to be."

"Hey, Kimiko-san," Ryosei bluntly interrupted, causing Rintaro to glare at him. "Mind if I ask you a question?" She shook her head. "Well, Mayako and I had a bet, and we were wondering. Who pulled who into the koi pond?"

At that moment, Mai's spirits wilted, for she knew that at least one of them had pulled the other into the water, because Kimiko's face began to emulate the color of her hair as she looked away.

"He told you that?" she whispered, unmistakable disappointment resonating in her low voice. Mai almost cringed in the poor girl's place, and she poked her brother in the ribs for being so rude. Though, she did wonder why Kimiko was so embarrassed about it. Pulling someone into the water, or vice-versa, was not that big of a deal.

"Well," Ryosei gulped, realizing he had overstepped the bounds of good manners, though it would do him little good now. "You see..."

"Ah, come on, Kimiko," Mayako whined, batting her eyelashes. "I've got a lot riding on this. Please tell us!"

"Mayako!" Reiko reprimanded, her tone bordering anger. "That is so rude! You should both apologize to her this instant." At least someone was sticking up for the poor girl, Mai though to herself. She certainly was not going to be the one to do it, especially if it involved getting her head bitten off by Mayako. No one ever argued with Reiko, though.

"No, it's okay," Kimiko lied, regaining what was left of her composure. She looked different than she _**did**_ had earlier, Mai thought. It was something in her eyes, but for better or worse, Mai could not distinguish. "I'll spar with you now, Saotome-san." With that, Kimiko sprang to her feet and quickly put a bit of distance between the group and herself.

"He pulled her in," Rintaro whispered when Kimiko was out of earshot. "That's right before he kissed her." Mai's heart skipped a beat as Rintaro stood up. "It was a scene right out of a paperback romance novel."

"Whoa," Mayako murmured under her breath. "He's making the moves on her fast."

Whatever her brother said next, Mai did not notice. Rintaro's words swam in her mind, echoing over and over. "...He kissed her," he had said. _Could he be lying? s_he wondered. But why would he lie? He would gain nothing from misinforming them, and he had never seemed the vindictive type.

"He kissed her," Mai whispered so low that even she did not hear herself speak the words, though Rintaro nodded in her direction before he turned to walk to face off with Kimiko.

"Oh my," Reiko whispered as her initial shock wore off. "I'm so sorry, Mai-chan."

Mai only dumbly nodded, ignoring the exchange between her brother and Mayako, who seemed to callously ignore her feelings. It hurt so bad realizing that her love for Kenichi might never be reciprocated. She felt a dozen years younger than him then, almost like a baby sister to the teenager she had dreamed of marrying.

"I can't believe I have to go on a date with you," Mayako stated in denial, shaking her head.

"All right, how about we either sweeten the deal for me, or cancel the whole thing with one last bet," Ryosei proposed, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, without the fear of loss.

"And what would that be, smart guy?" Between the look on Mayako's face and the dry tone of her voice, she did not seem ready to lose anything else today.

"We bet on who wins this match," he offered, grinning. "And the prize will be a kiss goodnight at the end of the date."

With a shake of her head, Mai looked over at the two preparing to spar. Rintaro merely stood there with his eyes closed, breathing deeply, while Kimiko stretched. The redhead was amazingly dexterous, standing upright straight from doing a full split. She looked like a spring the way she bounced to her feet so easily. During her melee with Shoji and his goons, she had fought them so casually, as if they were hardly worth the effort. It was almost as if she had been fooling with them, rather than beating the living daylights out of them. It was not fair that she could be so good and hold Kenichi's heart.

"There's no way I'm going to agree to that," Mayako retorted distastefully, glaring at Mai's brother. "I'll part with cash, but I won't part with a kiss. I'd rather kiss Rintaro than you, and he'd have to be the last person on Earth for that."

"Whatever, frosty," Ryosei uttered, shrugging his shoulders. "You're just afraid to lose."

The perpetual hiss of water from the locker room ceased, stealing Mai's attention again. She sighed and pulled her knees to her chest.

"Afraid to lose?" Mayako shot back. "I'm not afraid. You got a deal then!"

"My bet's on Kimiko," he told her resolutely.

"As much as I hate betting against Kimiko," Mayako began, "I don't think she can beat Rintaro. You got yourself a bet, Ryosei."

There was a brief silence in the dojo. It felt unsettling for Mai, all cooped up with nothing but her own thoughts to listen to. She wanted to stop feeling sorry for herself, but the urge to curl up into a ball and die would not go away.

"What are you thinking about, Mai-chan?" Reiko slid over and put her right arm around the young girl's shoulders. Mai only shook her head while biting her lip. "You'll meet someone else. I promise."

Bringing her head up to meet Reiko's kind smile, she forced one of her own. "But none of them are Kenichi."

"Getting over crushes is pretty tough, I know," the older girl replied wiping an unexpected tear from Mai's face. "He'll be out here in a few. Try asking him what happened. Maybe it's not as it seems."

_Always the hopeful one_, Mai thought to herself. "I guess. But how can he be anything else than in love with her? You saw him last night. If she asked him to swim to China and back, he'd have done it." _As if I would not do the same for him,_ she thought.

"She may have rejected him, though," Reiko suggested, patting Mai's back. "Even if she didn't, it's not like they're engaged or anything, though I wouldn't put it past Grandfather Soun."

With a giggle, Mai wiped her face with her hand. "I wouldn't either!" She sniffled and rested her legs out straight.

"Here he comes," Reiko whispered in her ear, and then scooted a few feet from her.

Looking over her right shoulder, she watched Kenichi pad onto the dojo mat, bowing upon his entrance. His ruffled, wet hair glistened in the light, obscuring his handsome face from her. He was dressed in black slacks and a green shirt. He must have hurried to dress, for most of the buttons from his upper stomach to the top were undone, and the collar stood upright instead of folded, shrouding his bare neck.

"Hey, Kenichi!" Reiko called over to the young man, patting the space between Mai and herself.

_Kenichi smiles like his sister,_ Mai observed as one side of his lips curved upwards into a makeshift grin. He silently walked around to them, the black slacks drawing up against his thighs as he tracked his way to them, defining the muscles of his legs. She ached to drape her arms around his shoulders then, to draw him close and to taste his lips. His brown eyes twinkled as he rounded behind and sat between them.

"Hey, you look down, Mai. You okay?" She felt the light tickle of his breath as he spoke to her.

"I'm fine," she replied softly, having to control her nerves with him so close. Unable to speak more than that, she bit her upper lip and turned away.

"Oh," he whispered. Mai had to stifle a gasp when he rested his right hand on her left shoulder. "If you ever need someone to talk with, I'm a good listener." She did not need to see his face to know he smiled at her reassuringly.

_If it were only that simple,_ she thought, responding with a nod. Much to her discomfort, he let his hand remain as his attention for her faded. His knee bumped her leg as he shifted to sit with his legs crossed. Gulping slowly, she turned her head to look at him. As if entranced, he stared at Kimiko who was just beginning to stand across from Rintaro, with Ryosei, the mediator, in between.

"She's going to fight Rintaro?" His voiced betrayed his concern.

"Yes," she answered, unintentionally scooting closer to him. The cloth of his shirt hung wide open, revealing nearly his entire chest from her vantage. A faint blush crept over her cheeks and she forced herself to look at the two fighters.

"I've gotta stop her," Kenichi said, beginning to stand, but Mayako loomed over him and pushed him down. He landed quite hard, and he unintentionally leaned on Mai—not that she minded, though. She quickly put her arm around him for support, though he probably did not need it.

"Not if I have a say in it," his twin snapped, crossing her arms over her breasts. She grinned down at him like some evil gargoyle protecting its residence. "I've got a lot riding on this fight. And I do mean a lot."

As he frowned, Mai felt his body tense and his arms flex. He felt quite warm up against her, almost unbearably so.

"You know Rintaro doesn't kid around," Kenichi argued, glaring at his sister. "She doesn't know that and could get hurt!"

Rolling her eyes, Mayako sighed. "She's a big girl. She can take care of herself just fine."

"Well, I'm going to stop her anyway," Kenichi stated defiantly. "What are you going to do? Hold me down the whole time?" Humming in mock consideration, Mayako quickly shook her head. "What then? Sit in my lap?"

With a giggle, Mayako exclaimed, "Good idea!" and quickly plopped herself on top of him. Mai tried to hide her face, but she burst out in giggles. She could hear Reiko on the other side laughing as well.

"Hey! Ah, come on. Get off!" Kenichi looked like a cornered rabbit, looking for a way past the fox. He gently tried to push her off, but his resistance was futile. It was just like Kenichi, Mai thought as she started to control herself. Kenichi was entirely too passive, especially when things involved girls. In this case, Mayako was definitely the fox.

"But you offered," Mayako whined sarcastically, turning to him with her best pouting face.

"I was kidding," he replied deadpan, frowning seriously. He tried to look past her at the two who were planning to spar, but she leaned her head to block him. "Off, Mayako. I'm not a chair."

"I thought you loved me, Kenichi Tendou!" Mayako cried, burying her face in his chest. Sometimes Mayako could act so well that it would even fool Mai and Reiko. Now was not one of those times, although forced tears sparkled on her cheeks.

"Don't be like that." Kenichi put his hand on her shoulder. Shaking her head, Mai realized that he had fallen for her cheap ploy, even though this was one of Mayako's worst performances to date. "Hey, don't cry." The frown vanished as real concern lit up his face.

"Gotcha!" Mayako chirped, squeezing his nose as she turned her head to look up. Mai fell over sideways with laughter. The look on his face was simply priceless, half shock and half disgust for being taken for a fool again.

"You're not funny," he whispered futilely as she turned away from him. "You're not going to get off, are you?"

"Nope." And Mayako would not, either, Mai knew. The girl would probably stubbornly sit on him until the entire fight was over just to prove some zany point that only Mayako herself could understand.

Things always seemed to end up just like that within their circle of friends. Nothing would ever get resolved, questions would never be answered, and Mayako would always tease Kenichi. It was an endless cycle of crazy events that all happened at once. Others came and left, but the three girls and the two boys had always remained. Ryosei was too much of a pervert to be trusted to sleep over, but other than that, no one else really melded with the circle well. Rintaro had been in it for a time, but he was far too caught up in martial pursuits to stay in one place long and had been more of a casual friend than anything else. The last year he had grown very distant from them as well.

And that brought Mai to think about the latest possible addition, Kimiko. She had heard through Mayako that the girl was leaving for China very soon, but it did not mean she would not be back. So far, Kenichi had a crush on her, which could last for years with even a little incentive, and a kiss now was enough for at least a year of devotion. Mayako and Kimiko seemed to go together like peanut butter and celery, neither worked without someone else to complement them. Plus, Mayako needed someone to shrink her gigantic ego. The twins seemed to completely accept the redhead into their party of five.

Mai did not even have to consider Reiko's acceptance, because she took it on faith that the totally forgiving, warm, faultless girl could not possibly reject anyone from their group. She would even let someone from Shoji's group or even Rintaro join them in their slumber party if asked. Now _that_ was a disturbing thought.

That left the Onos, her brother and herself. Ryosei was a pushover when it came to cute girls, so he accepted Kimiko by default. The fact that she could kick his ass any time of the day helped things too. Although Mayako was a horrible teacher, far too caught up in her own self-improvement to help others, Ryosei always learned from her, improving a little each time. If Kimiko would stay around, he would probably provoke her into brawls to learn from her as well. The ponytailed boy took a beating better than anyone she knew, excluding Kenichi, who was hardly a fair comparison. Kenichi was the human sponge at being able to absorb punishment.

Four down left her on a fine line between acceptance and rejection. Mai had to admit that Kimiko seemed very nice, even if a bit withdrawn and quiet. In the little time they had spent together, the redhead had seemed to mirror Mai's own sensibilities, neither taking Mayako's side nor Reiko's impartiality. Kimiko was a somewhat ordinary, if abnormally gifted, teenage girl. Mai normally would not even think about rejecting such an even-tempered, talented girl into their group, except for one thing: Kenichi.

For nearly four years now, she had been utterly in love with the young man. She loved everything about him, from his extraordinary treatment of the fairer sex to his blindness to their advances and flirting. He was always so polite and cordial, even when his sister would tease him without mercy. If Mai had been in his shoes during half of the stuff he had been forced to put up with, there was no way that one of them would walk out of there without a black eye or a fat lip. Mai put up with her fair share, but it was nothing compared to what poor Kenichi suffered.

Just thinking of the subject brought a few tricky memories to mind. It had been the four of them as always, staying up and talking into the late hours. It had happened four years ago, when Mai was ten, the twins twelve and Reiko thirteen. Kenichi might as well have been living on Mars for all he knew about puberty at the time.

While the ten-year-olds had no problem with breasts yet, the two other girls were already beginning their development. Mayako was well aware of her brother's innocence and took advantage of it on that night. The thing to remember about Mayako was that she had little to no shame, now or then. So she asked her brother to help him with her shirt as she was planning to get ready for bed. Since he had no idea of what she had in mind, he obliged her and got quite an eyeful. For poor Kenichi, it was simply too much. He had turned to Reiko and Mai for support, but unfortunately that had made things worse. Reiko trusted Kenichi implicitly, and of course had just disrobed as he turned. Two times in one day was more than enough for him to faint. That left Mai to break his fall and lie pinned underneath him, while one girl laughed her ass off and the other asked Mai if she was all right before going back to her own business.

Pinned might not have been the best term, for if she had tried, Mai could have gotten out from underneath him. Something inside _**of**_ her cried out when she had been about to push him off, though. She wished that she could have seen what it had looked like at the time, because Mayako would not stop laughing for nearly fifteen minutes after taking one look. Reiko, being Reiko, fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, so when Mai had asked for help she could not have answered. With Mayako being herself, she refused to help, got her camera, took a few snapshots and went straight to bed.

She had listened to his soft breathing for another half-hour before he had regained consciousness. He had not lain on top of her uncomfortably, either. It was as if he had planned the whole thing for a cheap feel with Mai caught off guard, but she knew better than that. He had only half-lain on her with most of his weight on his right shoulder and knee, while his body was pressed to hers, his left leg between her two and his left arm against her right, and with his left hand he had gently held her left shoulder. The warm skin of his smooth left cheek rubbed hers, and if she had turned then, she might have gotten a mouthful of his black hair.

After five minutes had passed, his head tilted slightly, allowing her to look at his face. Pale moonlight gently lit his angelic white skin against the contrast of his dark hair. With his breath tickling her cheek, she had stared in awe at him, realizing the feelings she had kept hidden from herself, her whole life. Her heart had become a knot of emotions for him, bursting to be released.

In one of the most daring moments of her young life, Mai had gently caressed his cheek with her lips. Quickly retreating, her heart had felt like drums at a heavy metal rock concert, much different than his slow, relaxed _**one**_ pulse. It was just an innocent, harmless kiss, but she had felt awful at the time for stealing it at his moment of weakness. The guilt did not last long, though, for she had not resisted doing it again. That time her lips touched his face, he seemed to purr like a kitten getting its tummy rubbed.

She might just have been a ten-year-old girl realizing and living a fantasy, but his head then had fully turned to face her, his eyes still closed, and his nose brushed hers. She had no chance to giggle, for he had kissed her fully on the lips. As if he had sucked the very life from her body, she had only stared in stunned silence even as he broke the kiss and mumbled something under his breath. It was too bad he had been asleep and did not remember, and even more unfortunate that he awoke a bit later and apologized.

Without even realizing it, Kenichi had swept Mai off her feet to be head-over-heels in love with him. Mai looked at him now with his sister sitting close, resting on him like a recliner. He shot her an apologetic glance for their disrupted moment before he had ruined it by looking at Kimiko. Desperately wishing that he had been awake that beautiful night so many years in the past, Mai sighed and looked away. The two years that separated them seemed like an eternity, and the girl that separated them was an obstacle too large to walk around, too tall to climb and impossible to pass through. Life was so unfair.

* * *

Breathe. Warm air filled his expanding lungs torturously slowly, even as the need to suck in all the air he could manage at once plagued him. Tofu-sensei had taught him this technique long ago, when he was just a child. Breathing became life, blocking out everything else, even the pain. He had avoided many agonizing nights through it, and now he was using it to clear his consciousness. His skills were on trial now, not his body.

With his fists clenched and eyes closed, he stood across from his opponent. Though his vision was darkened, he could sense her to be very near, no further than a few steps away. Her slow, strong heartbeat seemed to echo loudly in his ears though it was no louder than his. Opening his eyes as he finally completed his concentration exercise, Rintaro stared at his red-haired opponent. She, too, had been performing some sort of ritual before the match, though hers included more stretching than mental focus.

With the sleeves of her colorful Hawaiian-styled blouse rolled up to the elbow, and the pant legs of her tight sweats rolled to her knees, she looked very young, not to mention cute. The baggy shirt gave her figure an ambiguous quality and made her look as young as Mai, or even younger. If it were not for the dead serious expression on her face, he might have fallen for the guise, and if it were not for her too-cute face, he might have mistaken her for a boy.

He vaguely heard Ryosei's spoken rules of conduct, which did not allow the use of any special techniques, chi-blasts or magic. Of course, the last two were all in jest, but somehow he figured they might apply to Kimiko Nishiyama. Although he had never seen the second one, he knew that they at least could be possible. What exactly was included as a chi-blast, though, he did not know.

Prepared and set, Ryosei gave the word and the two combatants stepped up to one another.

"Choose your rules, guys," Ryosei told them, looking at Rintaro.

"What do you mean?" Kimiko asked, devoid of stance.

"He means, how are we going to judge who wins?" Rintaro explained calmly, keeping his body completely still. "I prefer knockout, though others fight by a certain amount of knock downs or even hits. Which would you prefer, Nishiyama-san?"

Without wasting a single second in thought, Kimiko replied, "Knockout." Her vibrant blue eyes shone in challenge, one that he gladly accepted.

"All right," Ryosei announced to the onlookers, which currently only included Mai, the twins, Reiko, Shintaro and Eiji, although he had not seen the last two's entrance. The two boys' chatter stopped the instant Ryosei had spoken. "This is going to be a fight to the knockout. First one unconscious or to give up, loses. Also, the fighters have agreed to a clean fight: no special techniques, no chi-blasts and no magic." The last one always brought a few giggles from Mai and the boys. "Bow, and may the best person win."

With a gracious, low bow, Rintaro formally recognized his opponent, as she did as well. Stretching out his awareness, he eased into a casual stance awaiting signals from her. Much like him, she casually stood across from him as if giving him the word to begin the match. Somehow he had thought she would be the early aggressor, but maybe she sought to catch him off guard with a powerful counterattack. She did have contact with people who knew his general strategies, so she might have conferred with them about him. But something told him she had not.

Approaching her cautiously, he watched every breath passing her lips for any indication of her plan, but received none. Being able to fight without leaving any implication of the next move was a rare trait for any fighter to have, and was something that even he did not completely possess. He hoped for his sake that she was not able to keep it up throughout the whole fight.

As he had initially thought, she simply awaited his move, no indication of a ready stance or even a bit of tension. If he was going to attack first, he was going to give her no room for comfort. Only three feet separated them when he lunged forward, attacking her using his right leg and sweeping viciously, leaving his hands ready for her counter. As he had planned for her, she boldly stepped out of the range of his first attack, so close that he swore that his foot caught her pants leg. The distance was enough to foil any counter she might have planned and give him the opportunity to attack again.

Almost in the same motion as his sweep kick, he brought the same foot up into a snap kick, which could have badly bruised her left thigh had she not disappeared right in front of his eyes. Not giving himself the luxury of even a millisecond of shock, he rolled forward and heard her clothes rustle behind him. Had he stood there any longer, he would have already been down on the mat. Rolling to his feet, he turned just in time to dodge and block a volley of punches, which would have ravaged his chest a second later.

He took one glance at her eyes and saw determination in them, cold, hungry and cruel. Even as he glanced at her, her eyes met his as she carved the air he no longer occupied. Seeing an incredibly small opening in her attack, he wove himself in close and his fist met her flesh, but she jerked at the very last second to avoid anything but the slap of his knuckles. Unfortunately for him, it had been a lure, for she struck his shoulder hard with chop.

Jumping out of her range, he grinned, realizing his mistake. He had expected a hole in her defense, and she had shown him one. Like a damn fisherman, she'd snagged him, hook, line and sinker. If it had not been for his Breaking Point training, the match would have been over right then, but because of it, all he had was a numb right arm. Within a split second, he changed his tactics from looking for holes to making them. This fight was definitely going to take him to the limits of his ability, and that was by far worth whatever its consequences held.

Not even letting up for a second, Kimiko attacked again with a combination of punches and low kicks. Like a master, she executed each with such seamless precision that it left Rintaro defending without thought of a counter. Putting all of his energy into his blocks, he began using them as his offensive, leaving each attack with, if anything, an annoying slap to her arms and legs. It was not easy to reverse his entire momentum time and time again for the extra sting, and if he tried to keep it up, he would fall to the ground exhausted. Fortunately for him, his plan worked, and she withdrew her attacks, a scowl of pain on her face.

If anything was in his favor, it was tolerance for pain. His far exceeded that of most, only falling shy of Kenichi's natural resistance that bordered on complete tolerance. Obviously, hers was not quite where it needed to be to defeat him. The skin of her arms had felt incredibly soft against his as he had blocked her, innocent to the rigorous trials of the body he had encountered in his youth. He had encountered her type before, skilled, fast, but unaccustomed to being on the receiving end of damage.

Unwilling to let this opportunity slip, Rintaro blazed to the offensive with ferocious accuracy, each strike ripping through space towards her. But like a fly evading capture from the hand of a child, she dodged nearly everything he could send her way, and easily blocked the rest. His second wave of attacks was nearly as futile as the first, but with his last strike, he grazed her arm, taking with it some skin. If she had not realized he would not pull his punches, for male and female alike, then she did now. He had taken hits like that in the past. They burned like fire for a few moments, throwing concentration off a bit.

Winded from his two consecutive, relentless assaults, he fell back as she began trying to pummel him. Her strikes seemed random, almost chaotic, but he saw through the guise. Each put him in a more precarious position, though even a black belt of second dan could easily repel them. She was as sneaky as his father, Rintaro felt, unable to stop a few punches from striking his chest and stomach as he defended his head and legs more rigorously. They were merely glances against his rock-hard abs and equally muscled chest, though. Ceaseless training did not seem so useless as everyone had told him.

Striking under her arm once as she set up one of her last strikes sloppily, he managed to dexterously follow through with a difficult maneuver his father had taught him, and him alone. It was a very intricate technique, called the "Dead Man's Takedown," to counter punches just like the one she had attacked him with, and he grabbed her arm, twisting and tangling it with the sleeves of his left arm. The second part of the technique involved striking the individual in three pressure point areas then finishing them off with a blow to the head, which he would exclude this time, and barring the injured person to the floor. He had used it nearly twenty times in the past, failing only once: the first time when he had learnt it and tried it against his father. Obviously, the old man knew the only counter to the technique that he had taught Rintaro.

As if Rintaro was replaying the exact moment his father had countered the difficult move, Kimiko slipped through his technique as easily as breathing and slammed an open hand into his jaw, followed with three strikes across his torso, and elbowing him in the stomach so hard that a wave of nausea coursed through his body. Her last strike was like a powerful shove that sent him sprawling to the floor, sliding to one side of the mat. For nearly a second, Rintaro boggled at what had just happened, unable to comprehend that she knew the counter to one of his favorite incapacitating techniques, which his father had implicitly told him that he had designed and never told anyone living.

As he quickly flipped to his feet, the sound of cheering broke through his concentration and assaulted his eardrums. He shot a glance at the group watching, noticing that even his brother cheered Kimiko's small victory in this grand-scale battle. Completely opposite to what he would have done, she allowed him the space to get up, without pressing another attack. Her chivalry would be her undoing, if Rintaro had anything to say about it.

Since she offered it, he took a valuable moment of rest, recovering his shocked nerves and walling himself within a shell of pure focus. Again, he picked Kimiko's heartbeat out from among the others in the room, distinguishing her life essence and marking her so he could see her without his eyes. Though it seemed an hour to him, it took less than six seconds for him to recover and march towards her again.

He expected her to taunt him as a tactic to throw him off guard again, and easily win. Although it would have failed anyway, and she had no way to know that, Kimiko did nothing of the sort and simply stood, waiting as she had at the beginning of their duel. He needed to rethink his strategy, analyze her defenses again and put her on the defensive permanently. A quick replay in his mind of the fight up to that point showed that her defenses and attacks were very similar to his own in the fact that they had little resemblance to any one art, but rather were a collection of various moves stripped from their original context and combined with each other for maximal application. That left him only his intuition to predict what she could possibly use next.

As for his strategy, except for the failed maneuver that landed him in such a position, it seemed to have worked soundly enough. He needed to make her jump into the offensive so that he could cause damage as he blocked her attacks and she would be forced to withdraw again. Unfortunately, he doubted that he would be given a second chance at that. Instead, her strategy would inevitably shift from its original course, so that any prediction he might have derived from the earlier parts of the fight would be moot.

Going right with his anticipation for her to change her strategy, she attacked him as he was preparing for doing exactly that. To reverse the momentum of her strikes and counter her, he needed her to string together a large, predictable combination of punches and kicks, because it took a lot of time to prepare it. Unfortunately for him, she struck at him quickly and faded away, even though he did not intend to strike her back, only for her to attack from another angle with another strange combination that halted before he could regain his bearings.

A kick to his outer thigh forced him to collect his wits for a counter-evasion. As she bore down on him for a fourth assault, he pushed himself as close as possible to reduce the impact of her strikes, and he withstood her quick barrage of attacks. His lack of defense created a giant hole in her offensive strategy, which he used to spring an attack of his own. With as much strength and momentum as he could muster, he rained several solid punches to her midsection, further driving himself towards her. Her soft, weak flesh folded underneath the might of his attack, though somehow her resistance was higher than he had initially perceived it. Instead of falling in writhing agony as he had expected her to, she actually launched a counter to his counterattack, landing her fists multiple times against his recovering right arm and catching him square in the jaw with one solid uppercut.

For both of their sakes, Rintaro temporarily withdrew from their melee, realizing the ache encompassing his body. Not since he was a child had he been forced to employ so much effort for a victory against one opponent. His right arm throbbed madly from repeated blows, while his jaw probably would not work properly for the rest of that day and perhaps the next. Although his body had absorbed more strikes than the other two areas, he felt no pain from them.

One look at his opponent told him that he was not alone in his agony, though; Kimiko did not look well and probably felt worse. With her left arm wrapped around her waist, she only held one arm out in defense. Her face was a mask of determination, her eyes glimmering with ruthless intelligence. While her left sleeve had fallen to her wrist, the right one was still bundled past her elbow, exposing the marks marring her attractive complexion.

If he was going to win, he needed to take advantage of her injuries. With the benefit of speed from the Chestnut Fist technique, he hoped to overwhelm her without actually launching himself into the full-blown technique, which would be against the rules he had agreed to. So far, she had stood up to him blow for blow, and neither of them seemed any worse than the other in his eyes. There were only a few areas he had yet to test, one of which he planned to do now.

Gathering his strength, Rintaro planted his feet firmly on the ground. Kimiko seemed content to wait for him to begin the next contest. So with one mighty leap, Rintaro launched himself into the air. As if it were her second nature, the redhead jumped to meet him on their aerial battlefield. Life seemed to slow to a crawl as the two opponents sped towards each other, every detail of her body imprinted in his memory: her rippling crimson hair, the thin tear in her shirt in the seam at her armpit, the look of a hardened fighter in her eyes and her tight sweats forming to every curve of her legs.

Like him, she was at home in the air, for he could read her moves like his father's, like his father could read his own. If the school of Anything-Goes Martial arts had one group of techniques that it did not "borrow" from other schools of combat, it would be the ones developed for aerial combat. Several of the skills he had been taught were unique to his school, while most of the others were heavily modified from their original state. Kimiko Nishiyama had been well schooled in the Anything-Goes style, he knew. There was no other way for her to know both the aerial combats techniques and the "Dead Man's Takedown."

For a split second, the two lay inches apart from one another, only separate until their arms and legs became a flurry of movement. Rintaro watched each punch and kick, blocked them and countered with some of his own. With all the luck in the world behind him, he tried one last desperate kick to her shin. He expected to feel the repercussion of her block, but instead met the flesh and bone and heard her grunt in pain. Incredibly quickly, she angled her body diagonally away from him, and instead of attacking, she pushed off of him, sending herself flying in the opposite direction as he began to fall.

Dramatically flipping himself once, he gracefully landed on his feet. No more than a second later, Kimiko sorely landed, quickly falling to a crouch as she winced in pain. Intending to follow up by attacking her before she had a chance to recover, he nearly tripped over his own two feet. Bracing himself after his botched lunge, he hastily withdrew from his tempered concentration. Suddenly flooded with stimulus, he vaguely heard Kenichi ask Kimiko if she was all right, to which she waved that she was fine. The two young boys were yelling some kind of chant, incoherent to him at the moment. He scanned the dojo, realizing that Auntie Akane stood in the entryway with his father.

"Are you all right, Rintaro?" Reiko calmly asked him from a few feet away, off the dojo mat. He wearily turned to her, nodding his assent. She flashed a smile and he wondered why she had even troubled herself. Of course he was fine, or at least well enough to continue the fight into the next century, if the need should arise. He was only seriously out of breath.

Easing into a defensive stance, he turned to Kimiko who now approached him with a very slight limp, favoring her left leg. Sick of having his every move countered, Rintaro awaited the girl's move. Perhaps he would have a chance to return a little of the sentiment before he knocked her senseless.

"Go, Kimiko!" Eiji and Shintaro's voices cried out in unison.

No matter whom they cheered for, the outcome would nevertheless remain the same. He only hoped that it would be in his favor, because she was beginning to turn into a sadistic and evil version of the Energizer Bunny. He wondered how much pain she could handle, and he also wondered if he could deal enough before being knocked unconscious himself. Only time would tell as their battle raged on.

* * *

A dull pain burned in her stomach like a sizzling grill under her flesh. Nausea had already consumed her concentration and numbed her senses. The cheer echoed by the two boys seemed far away, as if they were in another room. Her body was not adjusted to the rigors of intense combat anymore, although her skill might have improved. The fact that she could not stand up to her opponent as well as she might have twenty years ago made that point blatantly evident.

Kimiko had to admit that Rintaro was much more skilled than she had anticipated. She had not seen his better since Kiyoshi, and perhaps Herb, though both of them relied heavily on their chi as well as their intense skill. He might even have been as good as she was at his age, though if one had asked her that, she would deny every word. Although something told her that she would lose to him, she would not give up, even if that meant being knocked unconscious. Some might have called it stubbornness or pride, but she knew the truth. It was her simple duty to herself to fight until her last breath was issued, and not give up until victory was utterly hers. Neither Rintaro, nor anyone else would stand in the way of that.

The trip to China would correct her lack of stamina and further build her ability from the ruins which they had been when she awoke from the coma. Kiyoshi would see to that for sure. He had trained her father and Soun so long ago, and though his methods might have changed, the core essence of the man's true function still remained: that of the true master of the Anything-Goes style of martial arts. Not only had the ancient man forged the school, but he was also the epitome of a martial artist now. Strong, cunning, wise and most shockingly of all, honorable, Kiyoshi Nishiyama overshadowed his former existence like a skyscraper blocking sunlight from spilling upon a farmer's outhouse.

"Stop letting your mind wander. Concentrate on nothing but your opponent, and you will find your center. Breathe slowly so he cannot time his strikes to your body's rhythm." The teachings of her father and Kiyoshi seemed to meld into one voice in Kimiko's head. "If you are not at peace, if you are at war with yourself, than how can your attacks be effective against your opponent? Find your center, Ranma. Find your peace, Kimiko. Calmly reach into yourself and you will find the energy you need to win." She had been instructed by two very different men to do the exact same thing, but she could rarely see past their words to look into the meaning. She had to stop fighting herself so that she could fight her enemy, but it had never been so obvious before. Often when she'd had to call the energy she needed, it had simply been there, her unconscious and focused attention upon the enemy rather than her own problems.

Their voices slowly faded, placing her in reality once more, allowing her to finish the battle she had begun, providing the method to come out on top. Time had spared her not a second more, because Rintaro was already roaring towards her with the ferocity of a tiger. Unable to do more than react, she released her grip over her sore belly and defended with all of her strength, avoiding his attack more warily than she thought she had been doing, while carefully observing every one of his attacks, hoping that he would ditch his defense in an attempt to defeat her.

In one continuous chain of fury, Rintaro proved that he had exhausted neither himself nor his repertoire in the earlier stages of their fight. His first combination of punches were very easy to block, but he did not let up his attacks even for a split second. Like a slowly accelerating train, he became an unstoppable force, one that she was far too small to derail. A powerful chop broke through her defense and grazed her forearm, and even then he continued his exhausting onslaught. He attacked her head, torso and legs all at once it seemed, driving her from the center of the mat towards the dojo's exit. Somehow, a blast struck her hip and knocked her off balance, followed by another punch to her left shoulder, both of which sent her backpedaling. She simply had no chance to defend his staggering punch aimed straight towards her stomach. Gasping as the breath shot from her lungs, she stumbled, leaning forward with shocked pain.

In one torturously slow moment, she realized the vulnerability of the position she had involuntarily fallen into. With her head down and unprotected, a single strike there could lead to unconsciousness and defeat. She knew that he would exploit it, for even a novice knew maneuvers that could easily incapacitate a foe in such a position. She knew the one he would use, for he was entirely too predictable with his finishing moves, and in fact it was one that she preferred to use on opponents: the axe kick.

Simply explained, the axe kick involved bringing your chosen foot up and around the victim's lowered head in a half-circle, pausing right above the back of it. Wielding the momentum created by that, you would then drive the heel of your foot into the back of their cranium. A concussion such as that was enough to send even a hardheaded bastard like Ryouga down for the count. Though the kick could be performed in a very short amount of time, especially if you were prepared to use it, it was marginally slower than a number of the other finishing moves, which unfortunately only had half its power.

As she had predicted, Rintaro began the ascent of his left foot around the left side of her in a less-than-perfect semicircle, beginning a reversed axe kick. Between his rushed and sloppy kick, his decision to reverse the technique and his general exhaustion, Rintaro gave Kimiko just enough time to haphazardly throw herself to the right. The hiss of his foot slicing through the space her head had occupied and the later sound of his foot skimming the mat was sweet to her ears as she landed on her right shoulder, rolling to the side, well away from Rintaro's immediate follow-up attack. Halting mere inches from the edge of the mat and the place where the spectators sat, she rested on her tender forearms, tired knees and sore toes—the only things keeping her from falling onto her chest, dead asleep.

As if tired by hundreds of push-ups, she haggardly got to her feet. Her whole body ached similarly, worn to its limit and beaten far past it. Even as she balanced herself on her own two feet, watching Rintaro wearily approach, she knew that this fight was reaching its conclusion. To be defeated here in front of so many whose respect she valued would be very humiliating. She had rushed into this fight, not expecting the degree of skill Rintaro had displayed, nor mentally prepared for such a drawn-out fight, part of her still in shock over the kiss and the hallucination.

If she'd still had her old durability and stamina, the young man she faced would not be walking towards her quite as well as he did now, a mask of frenzied determination still worn on his face. The words of her teachers echoed in her mind again, reminding her of their priceless lessons. Quite plainly, if she did not gather her chi to strengthen both her blows and defenses, the cold mat would be growing warm with the heat of her soft flesh. Chi, the life force flowing through her body and everything living, was harnessed by people in even the smallest of tasks, though it usually was so minute that it was hardly worth noticing. With every move she made, Kimiko harnessed both her own energy and that which surrounded her, as did the best fighters that she had faced. It was an unconscious thing on her part, but to call more than that would not be. Energy required energy and a little time, both of which she might not have.

Remembering how she had found it the first time in her pursuit to learn the deceptively easy Blast Fist, she wrapped herself in layers of calm, uncaring emotion. It was not quite as hard as it had been before, and she was lucky, because Rintaro pounced. As spry as if she'd received a second wind, Kimiko evaded his attack, surprising him with one of her own. A chi-strengthened roundhouse kick pounding into Rintaro's back certainly dispelled any thoughts he might have had of defeating her then. Following through, she dropped and spun, having completed the circle of her kick, and swept his legs from under him with a powerful swipe. Relying upon dozens of years of falling techniques, in which she knew he would have been well schooled, he harmlessly fell to his back and rolled backwards to his feet. Not quite as lively as he had been before, Rintaro simply looked weary.

With no intention of giving him even a moment to recover, she lunged forward, blurring her movement with chi-imbued speed. Had this been a street fight, Kimiko would have finished him with a Chestnut Fist. Since she did not have that option, or the energy to do it, she ended her lunge with a sprawling punch to his abdomen, and then spun, knocking him across the dojo using her momentum for a vicious spin-kick. Dropping into a guarded stance, she watched him sail several yards and land on the mat, to slide across it to its end, stopping as his head met the padded wall. With the eerie calm still holding her fatigue at bay, she neutrally stared at him. She did not feel the pain she should have as she walked to check his condition with the hope that the battle was now ended.

Ryosei beat her to him as he rushed past her, his ponytail flopping around. The young man put a hand on Rintaro's shoulder, shaking him to see if he still remained conscious. To everyone's surprise but Kimiko's, Rintaro swatted the hand from his shoulder and pushed himself to his feet. The ponytailed boy jumped back out of the way as Rintaro pushed past him.

Her vision had never seemed as clear as it did then, and every single detail of Rintaro's sweaty face appeared closer and more distinct. Slight bags darkened the skin under his pale blue eyes which glowed with something she knew must have glowed in her own at times—determination. Unlike her normal assembly of opponents, he seemed just as calm as she, just as ready to fight until the battle reaped a victor. His ashen lips curved ever so slightly downward in a perpetual frown, as if he smiled as much as he lost fights, only on a blue moon. His black brows stressed his nonchalant attitude, unmoving and straight.

Somehow, she knew he was employing a similar technique to the one that she now used to remain standing, but how long had he been manipulating his chi to act as a buffer between her fists and his body? Chi reserves were like the gasoline tanks in cars: some were deeper than others and they tended to run out before you even realized that it had happened. Pieces started fitting themselves together in her mind. If he had been using the same chi defense technique all along, her blows would have been drastically weakened by his life force. The main questions were how long had he been using it, and more importantly, how much did he have left? Hope suddenly threatened to break her shield of uncaring calm as she realized that she might still be able to win. Unfortunately, there were no gas stations for chi, and once someone expended their share they were as good as unconscious.

Like a bullet, Rintaro shot towards her, negating his defense for another offense, one which would not be so successful if Kimiko had any say in the matter. Two titans clashed in the center of the mat, surrounded by unheard cheers and unnoticed concern from their spectators. Her total focus was upon him, every move, every breath, and as he began his assault, she saw her opening. As he attempted to strike, she took a reckless chance and countered, slamming her fist under and past his arm, striking the region between his left pit and left breast. It did not even faze him, and she was forced to dodge her head to the right, avoiding his right fist. As the blow passed her, she took the advantage of his weight being shifted so far forward, and grabbed a handful of his hair. Revenge for the pain he had caused her earlier was a bitch, especially when she drove her left knee into his face.

Maneuvers like that were last-ditch efforts to avoid losing, and he had used several earlier that would have been questionable for a sparring match. This obviously was not a sparring match. It was a challenge. Challenges were met with full force. She definitely did not feel so bad about it when he bashed her with his left shoulder, pushing it upwards into her left breast. Pain nearly shattered the chi barrier she had drawn around herself, but she ignored it, focusing on defeating this tank. She brought her right foot to the side and drove her heel into his left thigh.

Kimiko sent Rintaro to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut with one well-placed kick, but he landed well and quickly rolled to his feet, well before Kimiko could stabilize herself. The young man winced as he stood straight, nearly falling to the floor again. Suddenly as if reality had broken through his veil of fighting, he looked confused, tired and very hurt. Kimiko saw it in his eyes as he fought to stand and face her: pain. He had taken the fight so casually and unconcernedly up to this point that she had wondered if he was human. Now, with his chi burnt, his defense down and his vulnerability peaked, she could win. In less than ten seconds, she could bring him to his knees and safely knock him unconscious.

Unfortunately, it was ten seconds she might not have. As if she had just noticed her fuel gauge read empty, Kimiko's teeth chattered with the effort to maintain her energy. Ten seconds or no ten seconds, she lunged forward, more from imbalance than effort, and struck forward with a punch, which he managed to block. Her knees gave out as blackness assaulted her vision, and she concentrated a punch to his stomach as she descended to the mat. She felt the resistance of his stomach muscles give way and the sudden ache of her fist.

More pain flooded her body as her head slapped to the mat. It was a delayed reaction from all the stress her body had endured while in her chi-invoked frenzy. She felt so very tired as the cool mat rubbed against her cheek as her head finally rested in place. There seemed to be nothing left, not even a little energy so that she could push herself up and claim victory. Though she was utterly drained, somehow she managed to draw her arms up and push herself a few feet off the floor. Her arms, not to mention her whole body, felt dead tired, and they began to buckle under her weight. Collapsing for the last time, she managed to roll over her right arm and onto her back.

The burning white light of the dojo did not bother her eyes much for they were closing of their own accord. Euphoria rushed through her body, the elation of release from prolonged stress. Had she the strength, she would have been shaking, having spent so long with adrenalin flooding her veins. The pain felt worlds away as she began to drift to unconsciousness.

* * *

Pride swelled through Genma Saotome as he watched the fight continue, though both fighters had already fallen in pain several times. He felt the pride for his son, although the boy did not live up to all his expectations; but most of all, he took joy that the daughter of his lost son was only as strong as he hoped she could be. There was little to no doubt in his mind now about her identity. No one else living other than a Saotome could have taught her half of the moves she was using now.

Taking a seat near his youngest son, Genma watched the two trade blows once more. It still amazed him how strong his granddaughter was. She was at least a capable match for Rintaro and was for more than any two of the other children, all who had been tutored under Akane, Soun, Shampoo, Ryouga, Mousse and himself. Ranma had turned Kimiko into a fierce fighter who could probably give one of the adults a run for their money. It pleased him infinitely to see that his training of Ranma had turned Ranma's daughter into the fighter that she had become.

"I know that plotting look in your eyes, Uncle Genma," Akane whispered into his ear after she had sat down next to him. He turned to face her, smiling innocently, as innocently as he could manage anyway, but it only made him look like a child caught with his hand stuck in the candy jar.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Akane," he replied, lying through his teeth. She stared at him wryly, her arms crossed over her chest.

Genma turned back to the fight for a moment, wondering what he really was planning. He and Soun had talked about Kimiko, or more precisely drank themselves into a stupor until the early hours of the morning, but they never once discussed what they were going to do, only about how wonderful things had become. All he knew was that he needed to contact young Kiyoshi Nishiyama and extract whatever information he could on the situation.

It was well known that Nobukazu Nishiyama had never had children of his own, but instead relied on adoption to sate his need to be a father. Since the man had always been so wonderful with children, it was too bad his relationships with women had never amounted to anything. Genma imagined the fortune one of his own could have inherited had their children been promised to Nobukazu's.

Therefore, Nobukazu had somehow adopted Kimiko in the United States, likely where Ranma had fled. Did that mean his son was dead? Or maybe Ranma and Nobukazu had trained the girl, and Nobukazu alone had brought her up? It was entirely too confusing, but the point remained that Kimiko Nishiyama had to be a Saotome, and Ranma had to have trained her. Nothing else could fill in the blanks as well as that answer did. Had Genma been sent twenty years into the past, he would have been watching Ranma's girl-half fight his boy-half.

"Do you really think that she's his, Uncle?" Akane asked him softly, not allowing herself to be overheard by prying ears. "Even if they do look alike, I'm sure it could be a coincidence."

* * *

"No one else could have taught her those moves," Genma replied, studying Kimiko as he spoke the words. _No one else could have carried out those moves either,_ he thought silently to himself. Even after the beating she had received, she still fought with equal ferocity. If she and Rintaro continued this match as they were, they would both have to be carried to bed. He could not have been any more proud.

"I think you're right," Akane whispered with a sigh, sounding incredibly depressed. "I was only foolishly hoping it couldn't be so." Genma looked at her, realizing the pain she must be feeling finding out that someone she had loved so long ago had had a child with someone other than her. He felt the pain himself that Ranma had not told anyone. He had already forgiven the boy, but he wondered if Akane could ever forgive him. Twenty years was enough to diminish the pain, not extinguish it.

Putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, Genma continued watching the fight. He could not think of anything to console her pain and remained silent instead. So caught in their glee, he and Soun had forgotten about Akane's feelings, and everyone else's for that matter. When Kimiko had left the group of adults, Nodoka had immediately pointed out Kimiko's resemblance to Ranma. Tofu agreed after a moment of thought, though the rest of them left their agreement unspoken. His wife had left it at that and had gone to help Shampoo in the kitchen, since Akane had given up wasting ingredients, which had left the three men and Akane. He and Akane had then left to watch the fight after she had helped Kimiko slip into something dry, while Tofu and Soun played shoji.

"We should stop this fight," Akane told him, wincing as Kimiko barely dodged Ryosei's axe kick.

"Why should we do that?" Genma asked, honestly confused.

"One of them might get hurt," she replied, glaring at him. "They're taking this way too seriously for a casual sparring session."

"I don't see why—" he began when Akane's jaw dropped in astonishment. Genma raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Watch the fight, baka," Akane muttered, pointing at Kimiko. "I think she got a second wind."

Genma curiously turned to the fight, and indeed, she walked with vigor in her steps that had not been there moments ago. His son approached her without caution and that made Genma want to slap the boy for making such a stupid mistake. Dodging the careless boy's attack, Kimiko nailed his son with a roundhouse kick, and then ducked low and spun, sweeping his legs from under him and knocking him to the mat.

"I think your son's going to lose," Akane told him dryly. Genma knew the outcome of this fight even before it began. His son, Ranma, burned within Kimiko, Genma knew then, as Rintaro rolled to his feet. She darted towards the boy so fast that she blurred for a moment before unleashing a volley of attacks on Rintaro, who at the end flew head first towards where other kids were sitting. They had to jump out of the way to let Rintaro slide to a halt as his head bumped the wall.

The elderly man watched the girl whom he believed to be his granddaughter walk very slowly, one step at a time towards his fallen son. Such calm and such discipline, Genma thought with mirth. He turned back to his son who was just pushing himself to his feet. Rintaro would most certainly try to finish the fight now, before he took any more damage, Genma felt. The way Kimiko stood across from him made him uneasy. She was not even gasping for breath as she had been earlier. It was almost as if she had been refreshed completely sometime during the fight.

His son lanced towards her, still unmindful of Genma's teachings. He should have learned that he had no chance of defeating her with any straightforward attacks, the elder chastised internally, especially after the beating the boy had received. As much as he wanted his son to not be defeated, Genma wanted Kimiko to win more. She was proof that his son, Ranma, had not been a failure, no matter what had happened in the end. His eldest must have trained this fiery little girl before him. His heart pumped quickly as the thought sent warmth flowing through his body. Children were a father's second chance at life, to become the people they were not.

The two fighters moved so quickly that Genma could not distinguish one attack from another, and then Kimiko's knee pummeled Rintaro's face.

"Oh, God," Akane whispered, putting a hand on Genma's shoulder.

Placing his hand atop hers, Genma kept his eyes on the fight. "The boy will be all right."

Following his words, Rintaro bashed Kimiko with his shoulder, but she barely even registered the blow, only stepping back to regain her balance, though he heard a collective gasp from the female audience. Even Akane hissed, muttering, "That'll hurt in the morning." The next second, Rintaro fell straight to the ground, barely able to roll back from his assailant. Genma saw his face as he rose, pale and haggard, exhaustion perceptible on his face. The old man knew that his son was finished for the day.

Just as surprising as his son's upset, Kimiko stumbled forward in a botched attempt to rush Rintaro. The dark-haired boy swung his fists poorly, just missing as Kimiko fell underneath his blow, and then fell back as Kimiko's final punch was delivered to his stomach. He fell backwards to the mat only a split second after Kimiko did.

"Kimiko!" _**A**_ a voice yelled. As Genma had begun to stand, he watched Kenichi dart over the mat and slide to his knees at Kimiko's left side. Akane passed Genma on his right and quickly walked over to his son's side, while he slowly padded over the cool surface of the blue mat to the downed warriors.

Was it a tie, then? Genma wondered to himself.

"Rintaro's out cold," Akane told them, gingerly draping a hand over the boy.

They all turned as Kimiko began to push herself from the mat, her arms straining against the exhaustion, but she fell over and landed on her back, her narrow eyes fighting to remain open. As she closed her eyes, unconscious, a smile flushed Genma's face. She had won.

* * *

As Kimiko's body shuddered one last time, her eyes fighting against the wave of blackness washing upon her consciousness, Kenichi knelt by her side, and caressed her soft cheek with the back of his finger tips. Her breath was stable but slowed, and she looked so peaceful, so innocent, and so harmless. Appearances were deceiving, because he knew that had she not exhausted herself so, she would have been able to disable him even in the vulnerable position that she now lay. He smiled thinking about that, because he had never seen her like this.

_How many days have I known her?_ He wondered to himself. _Three?_ What was three days that made him fall so terribly in love with her? She was his Juliet, and he her Romeo, in his mind, but he wanted to know whether Juliet loved Romeo. They had shared the moment in the airport, exchanging names, the starry night before he wished her goodbye, and now the kiss. Did any of them mean anything to her? He could not help pondering.

Kenichi looked up to see his sister and Ryosei lifting Rintaro's unconscious body.

"Damn, he's heavy," Mayako complained, lifting the young man by his shoulders.

"I offered to take that side, ya know," Ryosei quipped, holding a leg under each arm.

"I can do it!" Mayako snapped, allowing Ryosei to lead him out of the dojo.

Just then, Kenichi felt someone tapping his shoulder. He turned and muttered, "Huh?"

"Need help with her?" Akane asked, gesturing towards the girl in front of him, with a wry smile on her face.

Shaking his head vigorously, Kenichi quickly moved to lift Kimiko up. Sliding his right hand under to support her shoulders, he, with more than a little embarrassment, slid the other under her butt to support the other side. Expecting to lift more weight than she had, he applied too much pressure into hoisting her up than he should have, nearly falling over backwards as he stood tried to balance himself.

"You all right, Kenichi?" his mother asked slyly as he regained his balance.

"Of course," he replied. "She doesn't weight nearly as much as I thought she would."

With an all-knowing grin, his mother took a step to stand in front of him. "She's a girl. What did you expect?" Kenichi wisely kept silent. Taking Kimiko's arm, she rested it on the girl's chest with the other to keep it from dangling as Kenichi walked. She then took a step back and turned to exit the dojo. Kenichi followed, carrying his soft, not-quite-heavy weight.

Kimiko's soft breath tickled Kenichi's neck as he carried her out of the dojo and into the house. He smiled warmly at her, as if it could somehow reach her in her unconscious state. Her rapid eye movement caught his attention for a second, but he disregarded it as he took her up the steps, still following his mother, and down the hall to stop at his room.

"Mind if we put her in your bed for now, Kenichi?" Akane asked her son as she took the doorknob of his door. The boy shook his head in response to his mother's question. "Good, because I think Mayako and Ryosei already placed Rintaro in her bed." Without another word, she opened his door and walked inside, _**where**_ as the lamps promptly began spilling light into the dark room.

"Where do you want me to put this stuff?" Akane asked with her hands on her hips.

Kenichi looked over to where his mother was referring. He had left a mess of his paints all over his bed, a pad of sketch paper and some colored pencils. "Just put them on the ground in the corner."

While Akane began clearing his bed, Kenichi shifted Kimiko to hold her in a more comfortable position. In response, she mumbled and carelessly wrapped her arms around his neck, almost as if she were awake, ready to pull him into a kiss. His heart skipped a beat as she snuggled up to him. With her eyebrows furrowed in frustration and a cute frown on her face, she whispered one word. In fact, it was a name. "Juniji."

As he wondered who that might be, his mother turned to face him with a scowl on her face. "What is it, Mom?" With her left hand on her hip, Akane pointed at his bed. Taking a step forward, he looked down at the green comforter and noticed the large black stain in its center. With a sheepish smile, he shrugged.

"There is a reason we bought you a desk, Kenichi."

As if contemplating the matter, Kenichi hummed aloud. "I think it looks better this way."

Rolling her eyes, his mother tugged the comforter from the top of his bed and turned it over. Smoothing it out and tucking it in with the swift expertise that only a mother can have, she quickly made the bed ready for use. Patting the bed with her right hand, Akane motioned for him to lay Kimiko down. Kenichi did as he was instructed and then gingerly placed the pillow beneath her head. He then took a blanket from underneath his bed and rested it over her, tucking her in. It took no more than five seconds for the redhead to begin snoring softly.

"I'm going to go check on Rintaro," Akane told him, resting on hand on his shoulder.

"Okay," he replied softly, standing as she turned to leave.

The door closed with a click, signaling his mother's exit. Sitting on his knees, Kenichi watched silently as the redhead slept soundly. Her chest gently rose and fell, as seconds became minutes. The steady ticking of his old-fashioned wall clock went unnoticed. Kenichi pushed his fingers through his short-cropped black hair, feeling the dampness from his earlier shower. Although all was still, his heart beat quickly.

Sliding over to the bed, Kenichi leaned over and rested his chin and elbows on its edge. Just then, Kimiko turned in her sleep, resting her head less than a foot from his face. _If only I could lean forward and kiss her,_ Kenichi thought to himself. She seemed so real with her mouth slightly ajar, a very slight whistle sounding from her nose and an occasional snore heard from her mouth, but she was still a fantasy to him. Inwardly, he knew that he would never kiss her when she was not conscious, but only because she would not be able to savor it with him. Leaning closer, he felt his body tremble slightly as his lips pressed against her forehead.

As if reacting to Kenichi as he withdrew his kiss, Kimiko arched her head back and ever so softly whispered, "I love you." If her eyes had been open, he might have believed the words had been spoken to him. Although they were not, the simple notion of it sent him reeling back onto his rear, hands pressed to the wood floor. He watched as she wedged her hands between her head and the pillow, whispering too low to hear.

Realizing that he needed to leave her before she drove him mad desire, Kenichi stood and left his room, closing the door behind him. Pausing at the door to Mayako's room before he walked down the stairs, he knocked softly.

"Come in," Mayako's voice sounded from within.

Cracking the door open, Kenichi peeked in as soft lamplight spilled out of the room. His sister stood nearby, while his mother leaned over Rintaro who lay asleep on the bed. Quietly stepping through the doorway, he smiled at his sister.

"What is it, brother?" Mayako asked meekly, smiling back. He knew why her mood was changed for the better. She had lived in Rintaro's shadow—or so she had whined to him many times—for so long, that she probably felt that his defeat was just.

"I just came to check on 'im," he replied, peering past her at Rintaro. "Will he be okay?"

"He'll be fine," Akane told him warmly.

"Cool," Kenichi responded with nod. With nothing left to say, he turned and left the room, walking downstairs, through the hall and into the living room.

Nearly everyone in his extended family sat in the room, making it appear quite crowded. He took in the scene before entering, and realized that even his Aunt Kasumi and Uncle Mousse had shown up already, as they both sat to Kenichi's left with his Uncle Genma and Tofu, and his Grandfather, all talking between themselves. Nearer to the dining table, Mai sat on Reiko's lower back, giving the older girl a massage. Between the adults and the girls, Ryosei was playing a game of shoji with Shintaro and Eiji, although none of them, including Ryosei, knew the rules of the game. Noise from the kitchen signaled that Aunt Shampoo and Aunt Nodoka were most likely at work.

Walking over to the two girls, Kenichi plopped down beside them. Mai turned and smiled shyly, though Reiko seemed oblivious to him. Mayako's hands methodically rubbed the older girl's exposed back and shoulders with the skill of a professional, and he knew she was, because he could hear the quiet moans uttered by Reiko.

"Wanna go next?" Mai asked him while she continued Reiko's deep massage.

"Sure," he accepted. "Tell me when you're done." Mai nodded.

Sliding over to Ryosei and the boys, he sat. The ponytailed boy turned to face Kenichi with a grin, his eyes filled with mischief. It was that look in his eyes that had got the both of them detention last year when Ryosei decided to skip school and bring Kenichi with him. How could he have said no when Ryosei offered to pay for his admittance into the fair that day?

"What?" Kenichi asked dubiously.

"You're the man," Ryosei told him with that grin still on his face. "I can't believe my best friend has already got to first base with a chick!"

Somehow, Kenichi knew that Ryosei would find out, but so soon? "Who told you?" He realized he sounded a little annoyed, but could not help it.

"Rintaro saw ya both in the koi pond," Ryosei said, tugging his ponytail. Turning to the boys who did their father and grandfather proud by completely reworking the face of the board to their advantage, as if it mattered any to him any, Ryosei moved a random piece in a random direction. "So, you're really hooked on this girl."

_Of course it would be Rintaro,_ Kenichi thought as he nodded to Ryosei's statement.

"Man, if you marry her, you'll go broke," Ryosei said, moving three more pieces, further proving that the two boys and he were in the same division of shoji players.

"Why do you say that?" Kenichi asked perplexed by Ryosei's statement. It almost matched Rintaro's warning earlier that day, counseling him not to mess with the redhead at all. "Why would I go broke?"

"She eats as much as Uncle Genma," Ryosei whispered in hushed tones. Kenichi was almost glad that the boy did not say it too loud, but when he added, "Plus, you're not a good enough martial artist to make any real cash," Kenichi gave up trying to take his friend seriously.

"That must be it," Kenichi mumbled.

"Yeah, but at least you'll be happy," Ryosei said, moving another piece on the board.

Almost scared to hear his answer, Kenichi asked, "Why's that?"

Feigning to be stunned by Kenichi's need for clarification, Ryosei arched an eyebrow. "Need you ask?" Kenichi nodded, causing him shake his head in exasperation. His reply came as a whisper, but with good reason. "Have you checked out her body? My God man, you can't ask for a better butt. And have you see those breasts? Jeez, I always thought you were blind to the opposite sex, but this is ridiculous."

A tap on his shoulder nearly made him jump in surprise. He turned, ignoring Ryosei, and faced Mai. "Your turn, Kenichi!" she piped with a smile. Following her back to where Reiko had been lying, Kenichi prostrated himself.

He felt Mai's small hands lift his shirt back past his shoulders, sliding her hands against his bare skin, sending a shiver down his spine. She then climbed over him and sat on his lower back, gently pressing her bare thighs, exposed by her shorts, into his ribs. Ignoring everything else as she began, he rested his head on his right arm and closed his eyes. Her dexterous hands started to work on his shoulders, sending ripples of warmth through him.

Between her mother and her father, Mai had obtained some of their more favorable skills. Dr. Tofu was one of the best chiropractors in Japan, and her mother was definitely one to go to for learning any type of pressure points. It was no small wonder that she had become such a talented masseuse. If there was one thing he liked most about Mai, it was her ability to mix the best features of everything she was taught and find another application for it. Neither Dr. Tofu, nor Shampoo were this good, as their professions and skills led them to different uses for their talents.

As she applied her thumbs to pressure points, he felt the tension releasing and sighed very softly. Imagining that it was Kimiko massaging him instead of Mai, he smiled, though his arm hid his face. An image of her began to form as she had been in the koi pond, virtually attached to him. He had felt so alive in her arms. It was as if he lived to exist for that moment in time, to feel so close to someone, to share so much without words. Her crystalline green eyes shining brilliantly in the sunlight still confused him, but he tried not to think about it, although he distinctly remembered them being deep blue.

A very interesting thought occurred to him then as Mai worked his lower back. He might never get a second chance if he did not act upon his instincts, but the girl on his back was persuasion enough to wait another few minutes. The one aspect of Kenichi Tendou that never seemed to turn off would not leave him alone for a moment, and now it was screaming for him to act.

The sound his sister made next completely stole Kenichi's attention. It was a mix of pleasure and surprise that took his concentration as he looked up to face her shins.

"I'm next!" Mayako exclaimed, sitting down directly in front of Kenichi, crossing her legs.

"Okay," Mai chirped, not letting up the massage for even a second.

"Got tired of taking care of your lover boy?" Kenichi teased, resting his chin on his clasped hands.

"I could never get tired of seeing Rintaro beaten up," she replied smartly, patting his head. "I'm surprised you got tired of taking care of your lover girl."

Kenichi intelligently remained silent to the remark as Mai turned herself around, sliding every inch of her bare legs across his back. He thought nothing of it as she began massaging his legs.

"Are you planning to go out with her anytime soon?" Mayako asked quietly, playfully ruffling his hair.

"I haven't asked," he replied honestly, wishing he had asked her already. "Why?"

"Just curious," she said, poking his forehead. "I mean, you've already kissed her and you haven't even gone out yet."

Grabbing her hand, Kenichi pulled his sister close enough for him to whisper his message. "Don't spread that around, okay?"

Shaking his hand reassuringly, she replied, "Sure, sure. I wouldn't have, anyway. I was just making a point." As if it were any encouragement, she added, "Don't fret. It's me!"

"That's why I asked," he told her, deadpan. "I have your word."

"Done," Mai told him, turning around again. She then dragged his shirt down his back slowly, causing him to squirm uncomfortably as she brushed a ticklish spot. "You're cured, Kenichi." She then stood up, giving him space to stand.

"Thanks, Mai," he told her as he pushed himself to his feet, and then hugged her. "That felt great."

"Oh, no problem," Mai sighed as Kenichi released her.

"My turn!" Mayako asserted, quickly lying where Kenichi had been before.

With a smile, Kenichi turned and left the living room, waving to his Aunt Kasumi who smiled at him as he passed into the hall. Sprinting up the stairs, he quickly rushed into his room, closing the door as he entered. Kimiko lay there, twisted in the blankets and with one arm hanging over the bed. He chuckled softly as he quickly gathered the supplies and colors that he would need for this project. There was no doubt in his mind that he would give his full one-hundred-percent effort. The redhead's image deserved to be nothing but the best. Since it was still late noon, he figured that he had plenty of time to at least finish the preliminaries before night descended.

Already scratching away on a pad of paper, Kenichi submitted to the demands of his insatiable imagination.

* * *

Darkness surrounded me completely, and there was no light. I felt myself floating in that void, but I knew that it was real, and that I was real. An unnatural lethargy coursed through me, making my thoughts disjointed and blurred. In an attempt to focus my energy, I tried to mentally picture Akane, but all that I could manage was an image, which was so poor it looked like I was staring through a foggy glass window to see it.

I racked my brain for something, trying to think of an explanation. Confusion was all I could find. Bits and pieces of memories floated by, but made no sense and left me with more questions than answers. I knew myself, at least, but where was I?

_Kimiko Nishiyama,_ I thought, reciting my name, hoping the sound of it would unlock something. But no, that was not right. It sounded right, but it just did not click, or help. If only I was not so tired, I might have been able to pull myself from wherever I was trapped. Paralysis was the least of my problems, though, because I could not sense anything, not even my own body, though I knew it was there.

A thought occurred to me then, as I floated somewhere beyond the physical world. _This is familiar,_ I thought. _This has happened before. I know this feeling._ Lady Sun Li. Juniji. I remembered those names, and the episode between them. There had been a moment in between my reality and theirs where I was trapped, floating as I floated now. Maybe I was on the black, empty path to another. At least I hoped that was the case, because it was much better than nothing, than the emptiness I was stuck within now.

I could not have been any more correct as a warm light out of the corner of my vision appeared, beginning its approach. Noise, like the sound of running through thick brush, echoed in the distance, originating from the approaching beacon of dreams and memories. It steadily drew closer until I could feel its edges, escaping heat from a warm body and thick beads of sweat. It smelled too, like heavy perspiration and unwashed bodies.

Though I had recognized it for what it was, I was wrong in the assumption that it was approaching. In fact, it was pulling me towards it with hands of luminescence, its life-giving arms enwrapping me. Thoughts and emotions hit me first, like a jackhammer smashing my skull with information—paramount among it, absolute fear. Slowly, as before, I became aware. The soreness of my legs came next, along with oxygen-deprived lungs, weary from exertion. Sweat covered my brow and drenched my hair as the exhaustion became entirely too evident.

I was running, forever running, to where I knew not. The sun had set long ago, for the darkness of night shadowed the land, one that moonlight did not even penetrate. With my arm outstretched, I held the hand of another who pulled me forward, faster than I could run. I had tripped before, and the knee of my left leg was skinned. The figure in front of me was nothing more than a blur that held my hand tightly.

"Please hurry!" he urged, yanking me with the intensity of his words as well as his hand. It was Juniji's voice. I remembered it from before.

"I am!" I—or rather, Sun Li—shouted back, tears beginning to flow down her cheeks. The danger was near, and time was running out. Again I was trapped in another, doomed to her fate, rather than being able to control mine.

A savage cry tore the air from behind them, and its maniacal, blood-crazed pitch injected pure terror into her heart. Only a few times in my life have I experienced such a maddening drive, although this time it was not mine. I had to remember that as Sun Li desperately ran, carrying me along for the ride.

With frightening suddenness, they entered a well-lit clearing. Everything stopped at once, as though someone had pressed the pause button, though Sun Li's heart raced as she gasped for air. Her vision cleared somewhat, enough to make out the details in my immediate surroundings. No more than twenty feet in front of them, a wooden sign hung high above their heads, suspended between two wooden posts. Beyond that, water twinkled in the pale moonlight, a break in the clouds surrounding the region ahead.

Our two souls in unison recognized the ancient, cursed place. Juniji urged her forward, but against his strong pull, she stood fast.

"What?" The young warrior turned, his eyes wide and desperate. "Why do you stop?"

"We cannot enter there!" Sun Li exclaimed, returning the look in his eyes.

"Why in the name of gods not?" he demanded, twisting to look at the radiant springs ahead.

"That's Jusenkyou!" she cried. She knew that he would need further explanation, so she hurriedly continued, "It is cursed, the home of many demons and evil beings! It is part of the forbidden land, the heart of it!"

"I do not care if it is hell itself!" he yelled back, anger contorting his features. "I will not let you, let alone I, die in this miserable region of the Earth! You will follow me by foot or over my shoulder!" When he pulled her again, she ceased her resistance, unwilling to give him up, even against all the demons of Jusenkyou, not when they were so close to fulfilling their dreams.

His mad dash was too much for her as he ran past the spring-filled valley, and he ended up picking her up in his arms anyway. With his speed so drastically decreased and the time lost from her interlude of protest, the enemy was almost upon them, for the voice of one man cried out in maddened fury.

Juniji quickly placed Sun Li on the ground and drew his sword, all in one movement it seemed to me. He turned just in time to ward off the attack of his opponent. The dance of two blades had begun with the ferocity of the attacker. The only thing the warrior could do at first was defend, parrying the intense slashes launched at him. I could not see the person even with the moonlight shining down from above, though perhaps I did not want to.

Fatigue and fear overwhelmed us, Sun Li and I, and she fell on her rear, far enough from the battle to be safe for a time. With her eyes glued to the battle, she breathed for dear life, each inhalation paining her deeply. When it was all over, she would be away from this horrible place, across the seas and safe in Juniji's homeland. Or maybe they would flee to the west and whatever lay there. She ached for the days ahead, without fear and frustration, where she could make love to him without apprehension, where they could live, happily ever after.

Turning the tables on the shadowed man, Juniji began his counter-offensive. Almost immediately, she heard his blade slice flesh. An ecstatic sob gushed from her mouth as Juniji launched attack after attack at the man. With a sickening thud, her lover's sword pierced the heart of his attacker, who then fell to the ground. I wished that I could have cried out a cheer for the warrior, but Sun Li only remained there as she began to shake since the adrenalin had drained her completely.

Withdrawing his blade from his opponent's corpse, Juniji exhaled as if he had held his breath throughout the entire battle. He then wiped the sword on the clothes of his fallen foe twice, once on each side. Time slowed to a crawl as he turned, victorious and alive. The grin on his face displayed the cockiness he must have felt, downing an enemy after running nearly five miles without stop. I clearly saw his face then, so familiar to me that I would have gasped in shock had I been able.

His sapphire blue eyes twinkled by the light of the moon, radiating his love for Sun Li. He only wore a tight, long-sleeved undershirt and voluminous black trousers, his bare feet covered with the blood of his enemy, and his bare hands wielding his shiny steel, family katana. Broad shoulder and arm muscles could barely be contained within the unassuming white shirt. He pushed one hand through his short black hair, ruffling it a bit.

"He was nothing," Juniji bragged, nearing Sun Li, ready to take her on the trip to leave China as he had promised. Standing before her, he reached out one hand to help her up.

As his sweaty hand gripped hers, movement from behind him took Sun Li's attention. She had time to cry out in warning, but he did not have time to react. The blade entered his back and protruded from his left breast. With blood and metal pouring from his chest, his eyes locked on hers, and she stared back.

"Lily..." he whispered with his final breath, his hand relaxing in hers.

"No!" Sun Li screamed as the blade was extracted from her lover's chest. He fell like a rag doll, landing in front of her in a heap. Crawling to his side, she whispered in fierce denial. "No, Juniji...don't leave me..."

Propping herself on his side, she leaned over his face, tears dropping upon it, even as warm blood soaked her dress. "Wake up, Juniji! You can't die. You promised! I love you..." Sobbing uncontrollably, she collapsed on top of him. "I can't live without you."

"You are right," a raspy, tired voice replied from behind her. "You are so right, Lady Sun Li. I will show you how right you are."

Strength coursed through her veins and she stood. Ready to throw herself on the demon's blade, she turned. Only the moon stood out, though, with the endless pools of water glittering in every direction. Surprised, she took a tottering step backwards. The soft slope of the ground beneath her foot gave way, and she slipped.

Shrieking one last time, Sun Li connected with the incredibly cold water. It quickly swallowed her up, like the gaping jaws of a hungry beast turning its prey into a feast. Disoriented by the severity of the cold, she sank to the bottom of the pool, but she quickly regained enough sense to push against the water's bed and propel herself upward.

Instead of breaking surface, her head struck it, as if a thick layer of ice entrapped her within the pool, only there was no visible barrier. Staring through the crystal clear water, air beckoned her, promising its sweet nectar to her oxygen-deprived lungs. She struck it once, twice and three times, but the invisible shield remained.

The horror of drowning alive was like none I had ever experienced before, nor one I would likely know again. The cold quickly numbed all sensation, but that of the raging need for air. It was a maddening need that drove away all reason, all sanity. Sun Li's torturous suffering did not take long to end, but an eternity it seemed to me, gasping but breathing in nothing but water, struggling but striking nothing but glass, and sinking after both of those failed. As horribly as it began, it ended.

I supposed that I should have either died with her, or awoken from this miserable nightmare, but neither happened. It felt like the darkness, but with light of the moon shining from above. Sun Li had been silenced forever, and yet I remained in her lifeless body. The stillness did not last for long though, and I began to rise, lifting out of her and out of the pond, finally resting upon its surface. A dislocated spirit, I had become, gazing out at the expanse of Jusenkyou.

Twisting around, I stared down into the chilly pool. Sun Li lay at the bottom, her long black hair drifting about as if she was in freefell from a cliff, but in slow motion. Her dirtied white dress, once a priceless heirloom, now remained nothing more than a tattered burial gown. Her sightless green eyes stared ever up at me, haunting my soul. And that was when I had a realization, one that sent me mentally reeling. Beneath me lay the drowned young girl whose pool I had fallen into two decades ago. It also was the body of the ghost I had come to know as Lily...similar to that of her lover's last word, Lily.

Remembering the fallen warrior, Juniji, I rushed to his corpse. Lying in the same position as Sun Li had left him, he still stared at his lover. I stopped next to him, staring at his face. I knew that face. It was as if he had reached out into reality and stole it from me, robbing it as my curse had become permanent. It was my eyes that had dimmed there and my body that had been punctured, lying still beside me.

I shuddered in surprise as it spoke with my voice. "Now you understand..."


	6. Part Two: Haunted Pasts (3 of 4)

**Misery Loves Company**  
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Part Two: Haunted Pasts  
(3 of 4)

The meeting of the Nishiyama, Inc. financial group concluded at five o'clock. That particular division of Nishiyama, Inc. was made up of six of the most enthusiastic and brilliant businessmen and women in Japan, headed by Nabiki Tendou, the Vice-president of the business' Japanese headquarters. Two years ago had been the last time that Kiyoshi Nishiyama had visited the Japanese headquarters of his corporation. In that time, it had not changed one bit. Unfortunately his memory of the building's layout was poor, so simply finding the right department and the right floor took well over ten minutes. Locating his office was not nearly as hard, since it was on a floor of its own.

Furniture within the office was sparse, considering that its user was a billionaire, but Kiyoshi never really cared for lavish conditions, and it did not really matter since he rarely used the place. Six pairs of eyes had all lowered nearly simultaneously when he had entered, and six bodies all bowed in respect for their employer. Kiyoshi Nishiyama had then taken a seat and listened for nearly six hours as almost every aspect of the company was explained to him. If he'd had more questions than the few he had asked, he would have been up there until eight or even nine.

Usawa Kurenai—no relation to Tsubasa—was the current President of the Japanese corporation, and yet he had stayed very quiet through the meeting, Kiyoshi thought now that he had time to do so. The fact that Kurenai was seventy and turning seventy-one in August probably had less to do with his silence than the fact that he seemed to be no more than a figurehead now. Nabiki Tendou had made it quite clear that she ran things around here during her hour-and-a-half presentation. The girl—no, the woman, he corrected himself—looked the same as she had when she began working for Nobukazu's esteemed organization, about the same time Kiyoshi had found himself being adopted into it, nearly ten years ago. Not even a wrinkle tainted her tanned white skin, even though she was now in her mid-thirties.

At the time Kiyoshi had joined, his position within Nishiyama, Inc. was rather small. Intelligence and subterfuge were his specialties, though his official title in the company was something like "Head Clerk" or some other nonsense. His body was young, although his spirit was ancient, and he was merely a messenger, earning his living as honestly as he could possibly manage. There was very little leniency in the cruel world for an aged martial artist who appeared to be a thirteen-year-old, and that held particularly true in his new home, California. He was very thankful that his body had aged normally.

Three years ago, everything had changed. His knowledge of who the CEO had been was virtually nonexistent. It did not matter who the boss was as long as Kiyoshi had been paid on time and his job did not include murder, theft or anything that would lead back to the life of crime that Kiyoshi had assumed in his previous body. It was hardly a bad job, and it even allowed him to travel to and from Japan. Nabiki had become an executive by then, and he remembered a few times she called him to send a message, or learn as much as he could about a certain target. The last time she had asked for his service was the last month of his low status within the corporation.

He still remembered the night he was to deliver a message to Nobukazu Nishiyama to the smallest detail, including the scene of that life-altering event. Called to take some crucial information to the CEO himself, at the elderly man's own house no less, Kiyoshi had walked in, or more precisely climbed in, and left the note on the man's desk. The informant had been specific on the fact that Nobukazu was not to be disturbed and that his entrance needed to be discrete. So, unable to avoid fate, Kiyoshi had turned to leave via the window by which he had entered, but a voice stopped him.

"Wait a moment," Nobukazu had ordered in Japanese from his chair in the corner of the room. "What is your name?"

"Kiyoshi," the young man had replied.

"What is your family name?"

"I have no family," Kiyoshi had said, describing his situation in those four words better than any other explanation could have.

"You are one of the orphans then?" the old man had asked, almost rhetorically, but still waited for an answer.

"Yes," Kiyoshi had lied, though he knew nothing about the ones Nobukazu had spoken of.

The questions had ranged from when's and where's, to details about his life. Kiyoshi's cover story, which was very close to the truth, had been enough to sate his employer's curiosity.

"I had a son once," the old man had told him. "Unfortunately, he died in Afghanistan. His son, my grandson, and his wife crashed their plane in China, and were all said to be dead. My grandchild would probably be twenty now."

"I am sorry for your loss," Kiyoshi had replied, but the old man waved him off.

"Yes, it was most regretful. I sent search parties to China until the civil war broke out. I have shed every tear and every sorrow that I could have for them. They are with God now." Nobukazu had been an active Christian, Kiyoshi would later find out. "I did not stop you from leaving so that I may learn about an employee, or even to force you to have a conversation with a lonely old man. This is the reason." Approaching him in a wheelchair, Nobukazu had clutched in his hands a framed picture, and he held it out for Kiyoshi to take as he drew near.

He quickly took it and examined it in the faint light. With a child held piggyback, a Japanese soldier in his mid-twenties was pictured with a beautiful Chinese woman, both smiling at the camera. It was unremarkable in itself, except for one point. The young man had short black hair, steel-gray eyes and was quite tall for one of Japanese descent. He was quite handsome dressed in his U.S. Navy uniform, but would have been regardless of dress. It might as well have been a picture of Kiyoshi himself a few years from then.

Kiyoshi had looked up, his eyes demanding an explanation.

"My son, his wife and their six-year old son," Nobukazu had explained. Their eyes had locked for a moment, and the hard edge in Kiyoshi's eyes softened in the face of Nobukazu. Albeit aged significantly, there had been no doubt in Kiyoshi's eyes that the man before him was the father of the one in the picture.

Kiyoshi had left after that, but was told to come back one week from that day and meet the old man, by one of the stateside executives upon his return to his office. One week passed and Kiyoshi made his appointment, using the door this time. A beautiful young lady, who later would become one of his dearest friends, had met him at the door. She had led him to Nobukazu's study, where the old man waited with a young man in a white physician's coat.

Suspicion flared in Kiyoshi, but he had allowed the doctor to draw several vials of blood. He had nothing to hide and doubted they knew anything about his actual identity. That had been all that they demanded, so he quickly left, pondering the strange turn of events. Remembering that he was but a mere ninja who was but one unit of an extensive clan, he waited to see what fate held in store for him. If everything began unraveling, he would have simply gathered the little money he had stashed away and disappeared for a decade or two.

His preparations had proven entirely unnecessary, for he was called for another meeting the very next day. That time the old man was alone in his study. He had beckoned him to take the paper on his desk, which Kiyoshi took and examined. The note contained a scrawl of information, but there were two distinct categories, both with nearly identical numbers on each side. Two of them were circled in both categories with the English word "match" written in bright red and circled.

"You are my grandson," Nobukazu had stated very slowly. "I don't know why you don't remember me, or your role, but you look identical to your father. Your lack of Japanese and Chinese citizenship, and your recent application for U.S. citizenship with immigration all add substance to your tale. The DNA testing only proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt."

A later trace of Nobukazu's history produced a list of ancestors, one with which Kiyoshi had been intimate. Fate now left him standing in the shoes of his own great, great-great-great-grandson. The match of blood proved that Jusenkyo did not change a person's body, but merely forced it to reflect that of their genes in strict accordance to the water's properties. He could only muse at the traits of the water he had come into contact with. When the curse had taken its toll upon his aged body, he had found himself a child, but he had completely retained all of his former agility and chi.

Strangely, it did not leave him entirely the same person, he knew, for he found it radically hard not to act like a child after a year of having been one. He had found it so exhilarating to be a child, treated like one and even feeling like one, that he had not even bothered changing back most of the time. The startling thing, which he had not realized until much later, was that he was no longer a slave to his perversion. Even when his body reached puberty, he had been able to control the driving force within him to the point that he did not need it any longer.

That brought him to the essence he knew as Seiichi. Kiyoshi himself did not even know what Seiichi was. He seemed to be more than a spirit of a human, wise beyond time itself, and yet lacking even the simplest of emotions. The first time Seiichi had shown himself was during Kiyoshi's second winter in China. Kiyoshi had just arrived in Jusenkyou and was descending into the valley when someone blocked his path. Like an armored paladin, Seiichi appeared, covered with ancient Chinese battle armor. Much like Kiyoshi, Seiichi could not have been any older than thirteen, though that was probably stretching it.

The child did not answer Kiyoshi's questions or even respond. He simply attacked. The fight had not lasted long, although Kiyoshi put up a fight that would have made a lesser god think twice. Seiichi was simply invulnerable to attack, even chi attacks. Kiyoshi had thought himself done in, but Seiichi had only smiled ominously and vanished.

_That must have been his way of introducing himself,_ Kiyoshi thought now. Their second meeting had been much less exciting. Seiichi explained that he was a guardian spirit of sorts, similar to the Christian idea of an angel, though his power was not derived from any divinity. He said little about himself, though, and had told Kiyoshi to not waste his second chance at life. In fact, Seiichi had not even given Kiyoshi his real name. Seiichi was simply something Kiyoshi thought of to give the spirit more substance.

Why he had been given that second chance had not been answered until a lost girl came into his care. Perhaps Jusenkyou was laced with Fate itself, Kiyoshi mused as he filed the memories in the recesses of his mind once more. He watched the five corporate heads file past him, leaving Nabiki Tendou sitting directly across from where he stood. Her smile seemed genuine, but he knew that behind it and within her beautiful body hid the scheming of a mastermind. She uncrossed her legs and rested her hands on her thighs, showing she was ready to hear the reason for which he had asked her to stay.

"As I said before, Tendou-san," Kiyoshi began, taking the seat in front of her. "The operations here are quite impressive. I am pleased."

"I would like to take the credit, but it is more Kurenai-san's doing than mine." Within her deferential words, he knew there to be nothing more than the showing of proper respect.

"Cutting through the formality and whatnot, you and I both know that is bullshit." He watched as her smile turned into a grin. He continued, "We have known each other for quite a long time, after all. I would rather dispense with formality, if you do not mind."

"I do not," she told him evenly, crossing her legs again and smoothing out her skirt.

"Good," Kiyoshi stated to her with a nod. "Do you remember when we first met?"

Although a little insecurity bubbled to the surface of her aura, her voice betrayed no emotion. "Of course, Nishiyama-san."

"Kiyoshi, please," he interjected.

"I do, Kiyoshi," she affirmed again. "I was a low level executive, and you were..."

"A 'head clerk'," Kiyoshi said, filling in her blank.

"Ah yes, a head clerk. A good one at that. We were both pretty much messengers, though you seemed to have more fun than I did then." He smiled at that as she continued. "I gave you tasks from time to time whenever you were in Japan. You were just a kid then, though you did seem very mature for your age." She returned his smile. "Quite an interesting turn of events happened, and now here you are, the CEO of one of the largest corporate firms in the world."

Chuckling politely, Kiyoshi had to agree with her. Interesting hardly covered it. "And here you are, the Vice-president of our Japanese headquarters, ready to ascend to the throne as my across-the-seas counterpart."

"That is if Kurenai-san ever retires," Nabiki replied.

Sitting back in his chair, Kiyoshi laughed again. "Nevertheless, you run the business with his full authority." Nodding her agreement, Nabiki folded her hands in her lap, interlacing her fingers. Kiyoshi scratched beneath his left ear, a nervous habit from his early years having proven itself yet to be extinguished. "Anyway, I just wanted you to know that nothing has changed since my last visit here. Your fine work has assured that."

"I honestly cannot take all of the credit," Nabiki admitted. "The people I work with are very capable in their positions, and they follow my words like well-trained bloodhounds." When Kiyoshi chuckled again, Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Well, it is true."

"Under your leadership," Kiyoshi added, standing suddenly. He then changed the line of their conversation. "Tendou-san, accompany me outside?" He held out his arm cordially.

Rising to stand next to him, she hooked her arm with his as he turned and began walking out of the office. He could hear her heartbeat quicken ever so slightly as they passed clerks and entered the elevator. She punched the button that would take them to the lobby of the building and returned to stand close to him, still holding his arm with hers. She seemed a little closer than casual, but it did not bother him in the slightest.

"Whether you know already or not, we have a dinner date tonight." His words made her turn slightly. She obviously did not know.

"Is that so?" she said, ice cold, expressing her concern.

"Your father offered," Kiyoshi explained, settling her nervousness. "I met with him and Genma Saotome last night."

Silence prevailed upon them for a moment before the elevator reached their destination and the door opened. She quickly broke it though. "If Saotome-san and my father were together, then it is probably a part of some scheme of theirs."

He could not help laughing as they walked across the shiny tiled floor of the lobby. After he had exchanged bows with a few people who recognized him, he continued on with her.

"I was leaving for your sister's house now," Kiyoshi said, leading her towards the glass doors. "Would you like to accompany me?"

"I would like to," she began slowly. "But I have to finish a few things in the office."

"I'm sure that you can finish everything tomorrow," Kiyoshi entreated. "I insist."

They exited the building where a limousine awaited him. Although he hated those things, since driving himself was so much more pleasurable, it was the only way to have a good conversation with Nabiki.

"I guess that it would be all right," she agreed, entering the car after he opened the door for her, and he shortly followed thereafter. "I did plan to dine with my family later anyway." She was quickly falling back into her icy and dominating, but quite normal, self. Insecurity and uncertainty did not become her at all. Kiyoshi much preferred her confidence.

The conversation they had during the trip to the Tendou home was quite casual, as they talked about daily stuff, things that irritated them and anything else frivolous that happened to pop into their heads. Kiyoshi accomplished that which he had intended, though, for he merely wanted her to feel more secure around him, like a casual partner rather than a boss. It worked well, for as they reached their destination, she was sitting next to him with a hand on his shoulder, telling a particularly funny joke she had heard in the office.

The sunlight had already grown dim as the two casually approached the gates, arm in arm, laughing at her perverted joke. Soun had told him to be there at seven, and Kiyoshi's watch read that it was six thirty-five, putting him ahead of schedule. In another half-hour or so, the sunset would be complete, descending into the dark of night. All felt well, though there was something on the wind that made Kiyoshi uneasy, something just beyond his line of sight. He would have to keep an eye out and warn Kimiko to do so as well, just in case.

"Have you met my entire family?" Nabiki asked as he pushed open the gates.

Kiyoshi shook his head, allowing her to walk through before shutting them behind himself. Her heels clicked with every step across the brick walkway, though his steps went unheard. He allowed her to lead him to the front door, where she paused and giggled.

"What is it?" he asked, stopping behind her.

"Nothing, Kiyoshi," she replied, slowly turning the doorknob. "You'll enjoy my family, though the house gets crowded at times. We usually eat in the backyard, but it's been so cold this summer."

Following after her, they made their way past the stairs and into the hall. Before he had even reached the living room, he could hear a number of voices and guessed that everybody had shown up tonight. He paused as Nabiki rounded the corner into the living room. Happy greetings were exchanged as Kiyoshi took a deep breath and entered.

The scene was just as he had imagined it: a decent-sized living room filled wall to wall with Tendous, Saotomes and Onos. He felt more than a little nervous under the gaze of so many eyes, since he had known all of them in his past life, one he no longer wished to remember. Guilt resided in the past, more than he wanted to think about any longer. It only made him feel worse to remember that some of the people in here were adversely affected by his criminal behavior, the worst of which had been directed at Kimiko, who was absent from the room at the moment, in addition to all the other children.

Heads turned and mumbled questions were asked, as Soun stood and walked over to his middle daughter and Kiyoshi. He seemed more dignified now than when Kiyoshi had last known more than fifteen years ago. His hair had long since grayed, though it was still just as long as ever, naturally curling at his shoulders. His soft brown eyes closed and his lips curved into a smile as he bowed low to the two of them, showing his deep respect. Kiyoshi smiled and bowed as Nabiki did.

"Welcome to my home, Kiyoshi-san," Soun greeted warmly. "And it is good to see you again, Nabiki. Both of you, come in. I'll introduce you to everyone." The family had begun to stand as Soun turned and started on his left. Kiyoshi bowed to each as Soun introduced them. Every single last member radiated some amount of happiness, Kiyoshi noticed, as his host finished.

The remarkable recovery of this makeshift clan seemed much less a miracle than pure determination on their part. That was not including one of their number: Akane. As she approached Kiyoshi and Nabiki, and the others departed to resume their conversations, a hint of perpetual sadness resonated from the depths of the raven-haired woman's soul.

Kiyoshi could feel it without trying, and that only happened when the suffering of the spirit was enough to puncture the thin veil that hid it from the physical world. One can traverse either side, but it was a rare experience indeed to feel it through that tentative, yet nearly unbreakable barrier.

A warm smile lit her face, masking the inner discomfort she felt, to all but Kiyoshi.

"Thank you for allowing me the pleasure of visiting your fine household, Tendou-san," Kiyoshi graciously told her, bowing.

"I'm going to go have a word with my father," Nabiki whispered to him before leaving him to talk with Akane alone. He glanced over at her once, catching her eyes as she turned once before sitting next to Soun.

Kiyoshi turned his attention to Akane who beckoned him into the hall. Following her without a word, he put his hands in his pockets. She turned to face him with the look of sadness creeping over her.

"Is this about my sister?" Kiyoshi asked quickly, before she could speak. If anything bad were to happen, it would definitely revolve around her, he thought. After she nodded briefly, he grinned. "What has she done?"

Akane appeared a little nervous, as if she were deciding how to tell him some bad news. Her reply came slowly. "Since she's your sister, you know how young martial artists can act sometimes, right? Well, your sister and one of the kids went a little overboard in their sparring match earlier." Before he could inquire to her condition, Akane answered. "She's okay, but she took some nasty hits and is sleeping at the moment. We laid her down in my son's bedroom. The kids have been periodically watching over her and the boy that she sparred with."

After she finished, Kiyoshi nodded slowly. _So that is what she was nervous about,_ he thought. _She must be worried about my reaction._ "Would it be all right if I go in and see her?"

"Of course," Akane told him, beginning to walk down the hall. "I'll take you to her."

One flight of stairs and two passed doorways later, Akane knocked on a door and slowly opened it. She peered in and pushed it open, beckoning for him to enter. Before he complied, Akane told someone within the room, "Kenichi, this is Kimiko's elder brother, Kiyoshi." He heard a shuffling in the room as he entered.

Absorbing the details of the room, he was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer state of chaos that it was in. Kimiko lay on the bed to his left, while a desk with scattered art materials sat up against the far wall. A teenager, who could be none other than the son of Akane, stood somewhere in the middle, brushing his pants nervously. He wore an apron that might have once been white, but was now painted with a rainbow of different colors. Underneath he wore black slacks and a green shirt, both untouched by the random splashes.

The only thing more vibrant in the room than the boy was the mural on right wall, which was partially covered by him. Round like the earth, the scene was sliced in half by a river of blood, one side green and blue and the other gray and metallic. _So he's an environmentalist,_ Kiyoshi thought with a grin.

Closing the door, Kiyoshi let the awkward silence unnerve the boy, allowing him to introduce himself first. It took a moment for the boy to catch on, because he was still gaping.

"I'm Kenichi Tendou, sir," he told Kiyoshi, bowing. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And it is a pleasure to meet you," Kiyoshi told him, returning the bow. "You have my thanks for watching over my little sister." He then bowed again.

"It was no problem, Nishiyama-san," the boy replied, nervously looking over to the canvas that was angled so it could only be seen from the right wall. He scratched his head, gripping his hands apprehensively.

With a broad smile, he decided to tease the boy some more. "You wouldn't happen to be painting her naked, would you?"

The despairing look in the boy's eyes was enough to make Kiyoshi laugh out loud, but he held back. Kenichi furiously denied that in a stuttered sentence which was so jumbled, Kiyoshi could only make out the words 'no' and 'never', both of which were stated quite a few times.

After that, Kenichi quickly turned the canvas for Kiyoshi to see. Amazing was the only word Kiyoshi could describe as he looked over the tasteful portrait of Kimiko. As if the unfinished painting were alive, Kimiko stared back at him with haunted eyes and flushed cheeks. Her unbound mane of red hair hung at her shoulders, darkened by the water that dripped from it. Her lips mimicked reality, pursed open ever so slightly as she did in her sleep now, exposing the white of her teeth. Her expression seemed to be neutral, but an overlaying tone of melancholy that could not be seen at first glance had Kimiko represented painfully well. The background of the painting was still white and a few of the details were still undefined; but it looked marvelous.

"This is, really, very good," Kiyoshi told the on-edge young man. "But I was really hoping you would have painted her nude." The boy face-faulted, still caught off-guard from his earlier teasing. Kiyoshi simply could not hold back a chuckle at the boy's expense. "I was kidding, Kenichi." Although it alleviated most of his embarrassment, Kenichi still looked nervous.

"I trust you with my sister's honor, in addition to her wellbeing," Kiyoshi added, reassuring the boy by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you," Kenichi whispered and then bowed very low, even as his face turned quite red.

"Did you ask before painting her?" Kiyoshi wondered aloud.

Kenichi shook his head, as he walked over to his desk. "She's been out since we moved her. Do you think she'll mind?"

"No," Kiyoshi told him with a shrug. "But you never know with her. She gets weird about these things sometimes."

Turning his attention from Akane's son, Kiyoshi walked to the bedside, sitting on its edge. Only Kimiko's hair and face were visible underneath the dark green covers. Her hair was spread out across the pillow, like a splash of red paint contrasting against a field of green.

Drawing back the covers to her shoulders, Kiyoshi quickly scanned her skin for marks, but found none. He turned to Kenichi. "Do you know where she was injured?"

"Well, Rintaro really did a number on her stomach and her left arm, I think," Kenichi answered. He then added, quite self-consciously, "Oh, and her...umm...left breast. She only passed out because she was exhausted, I think."

Nodding, Kiyoshi turned back to the girl beside him. Prodding her neck for a pulse, he found a regular, healthy one. He lifted back eyelids, checking for a response, but everything seemed fine. With no worries of hurting her now that he was sure of her condition, he turned her head so that she was facing straight up and pressed both of his hands to her temples.

A warm spike of chi energy shot through his hands and into her head, causing her to instantly open her eyes and sit up straight.

"Kiyoshi?" Kimiko asked, blinking and squinting even though the light was not that bright.

"It's me, Kim-chan," he replied as she slowly began to regain consciousness. "How are you feeling?" It took a moment for her to answer, but she responded nonetheless.

"Like hell," she complained, lying back down. She yawned, closing her eyes sleepily.

"Where do you hurt?" he asked, brushing a wisp of hair out of her eyes.

"Where don't I hurt?" she shot back with a smile. After yawning again, she elaborated. "My breast is still throbbing from when Rintaro bashed me with his shoulder." Rubbing it tenderly with her left hand, she added, "He managed to catch the nipple dead on. My stomach hurts too. He pretty much targeted me there a lot. And my left arm. He grazed that with a really strong punch."

"I hope you returned the favor," Kiyoshi told her, taking her arm. Examining the bandaged arm, he jabbed his fingers into the skin near the veins. It was just a superficial cut, though probably quite painful at the time. "This won't scar."

"Oh, too bad," Kimiko joked. "I was hoping for a reminder of this fight."

Smiling, Kiyoshi pushed back the comforter and then pushed her odd Hawaiian styled shirt back to look at her stomach. Dark blue welts covered its surface. She winced as he felt her bruised skin with his fingers. "Your stomach will be fine in a day or two." She nodded as he covered her stomach. "Do you want me to look at your breast?"

"Yeah," she replied, her voice strained as she began to wrestle with the top button of her blouse. "No copping a feel, though." He heard an embarrassed cough from behind him, which caught Kimiko's attention.

"You were placed in Kenichi's room," Kiyoshi offered, not taking his eyes from her.

"Hi," Kenichi greeted, nearly a whisper, from across the room.

"Heya, Kenichi," she responded wearily. "Thanks for the bed."

"Um, no problem," the boy said shakily.

Fumbling with the top button again, Kimiko could not quite get it. Kiyoshi quickly turned to look at Kenichi who suddenly seemed to find his mural quite interesting, though the sides of his face were beet red.

"Allow me," Kiyoshi told Kimiko as he turned back to face her. Quickly unbuttoning her blouse, he opened it. She turned her head as he reached around her back and unfastened her bra.

"It's my left breast," she whispered softly.

Although pre-informed, he had no need for the knowledge when he examined her breasts. The left one had a very nasty bruise centered on the nipple. With more than adequate knowledge of the pressure points around the female breast, he had absolutely no need to search for them. He skillfully pressed his fingers directly into the correct spots. To remove the pain would require the use of a significant amount of chi. The task was not enough to drain him, but it was enough to make his hands glow. Luckily for him, Kenichi was sitting at his desk with his head turned, and was far too embarrassed to look at her exposed breast, or more importantly, Kiyoshi's glowing hands.

He closed his eyes and strength ebbed from his hands, flowing into the skin and muscle around the injury. She almost immediately sighed in relief after he began. He imagined the cells restoring themselves beneath his fingers, as he knew they were. Opening his eyes, he smiled. The flesh had regained its proper color, although it was still a little tender. "Still hurt?"

"Not nearly as bad," Kimiko answered, pulling her shirt closed, after he retracted his hands. "Thanks, Kiyo-kun."

"Don't mention it," he said, ruffling her hair. "You did win, right?"

Looking away, she scowled and shook her head. "Nah, I exerted myself too much and just passed out, I think. Last I saw, he was standing. I did manage to pop him one before I fell, though."

Kiyoshi turned as he heard Kenichi clearing his throat. "You did win, Kimiko," the boy added softly. "You knocked Rintaro out before you passed out."

Chuckling as the scowl shifted into a grin on his sister's face, Kiyoshi stood, smiling. She beamed back, sitting up carefully. Her eyes looked a little distant, but she otherwise seemed healthy. The bruises were nothing more than a topical discomfort rather than anything serious. Perhaps, he considered to himself, he should go and check on the other child. If Kimiko was this jostled up, the boy might be hurt worse. Though, he did trust Akane's assessment of the children's health, especially since Dr. Tofu was in the household.

"I'm going to check on, what's his name? Rintaro?" Kiyoshi turned to Kenichi who was staring dreamily at Kimiko. "Kenichi?"

"Oh, sorry," the boy muttered. "Yeah, it's Rintaro and he's in the room to your immediate right. I'm not sure who's in there with him, if anyone is."

Smiling at the boy, Kiyoshi looked at Kimiko who was struggling to keep her eyes open as she sat up against the headboard of the bed. "Kimiko, I'll see you a bit later. Want me to get you when it's dinner time?"

The mention of dinner brought a quick response from the girl who broadened her grin. "Yeah, don't forget. I'm starving."

Chuckling softly, Kiyoshi nodded and left the room, closing it behind him.

* * *

The click of Kiyoshi's exit echoed in the silent room, and Kimiko pressed her hand to her clammy forehead. She was vaguely aware of Kenichi's presence somewhere behind her, though the boy had not uttered a single word since her brother had departed the moment before. With the pain from her left breast nearly faded, her stomach hurt worse than it had, but it was tolerable. She had been hit harder in the past, although that was a long time ago when she'd had a much more hearty constitution.

Weakly propping the pillow up against the wall, she turned and wearily rested her back. She felt as if she had just run a marathon, and her muscles had already stiffened like bricks. It took much effort just to turn her neck and look at Kenichi, but she managed it. He was about six feet away from her, sitting in a chair facing her, his hands held, fingers interlaced. Staring meaningfully at his bare feet, he looked very nervous.

"So I won, huh?" she asked, breaking the embarrassed silence.

"Yeah," he replied, looking up into her eyes for a moment, and then turning them back to the floor. Pressing his hands to the seat of the chair, he lifted himself up and crossed his legs underneath himself, promptly sitting back down. "It was close, but you won."

"Cool," she stated, smiling at him. He began to smile back, but turned his head away quickly, a slight flush coloring to his cheeks. Kimiko yawned for a moment, and then pursued a conversation. "How'd I do?"

Biting his bottom lip, Kenichi pushed his right hand through his hair, looking anything but comfortable. "Well, you did good, and you did win, but you let him bully you around a lot. And you gave him too much time to set up his next attacks. I don't know if you needed that time or what, but it was pretty much a deciding factor." A little surer with himself, Kenichi scooted forward in his chair. "Some of his techniques were pretty cheap, some I haven't even seen, but you handled them really well. I thought he had you after he had caught you in that one hold. The one after you threw a punch, where he grabbed you and was about to pummel you."

"Yeah," Kimiko agreed, forgetting her fatigue. She slowly sat straight, by herself, as she continued, "I saw that one coming a mile away. He was pretty predictable most of the time. Well, when he wasn't kicking my ass." Kenichi giggled a little at that. "I totally set him for that one, though. I threw a sloppy punch so he'd use something I'd recognize. He did use a lot of stuff that I've never seen before, though."

Sliding off his chair and onto the floor beside the bed, Kenichi put his hands on the bed. With his self-consciousness forgotten, he continued their conversation with a grin on his face. "That was a really cool counter you pulled there. But my favorite part was where you dropped down so fast that you'd pop up next to him, and he'd be all confused. How'd you learn that?"

Sticking out her bottom lip in thought, Kimiko answered, "Let me think. I sort of learned it while fighting Kiyoshi. He's so tall that I could distract him a little, drop, weave beside him and attack again. It didn't get through his defense, but it made him stop attacking. It only works on opponents who are taller than yourself." She stopped, leering at him. "You're not short, but you're definitely not tall, so it won't work well for or against you."

"That sucks," Kenichi complained, grinning lopsided. He then stopped smiling and shook his head.

"What?" Kimiko asked, leaning forward slightly.

"I'm still in shock that the great Rintaro is no longer undefeated," he answered.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Kimiko asked, flashing her eyelashes.

When Kenichi held his chin in his hand and sarcastically began, "Well..." Kimiko cut him off.

"Actually, don't answer that." Rubbing her sore back, she straightened from her slouch and thoughtfully peered down at him sitting on the floor, both arms rested on the bed. He radiated simple happiness, it seemed to her, and his smile and brown eyes both proved that. Not able to think of anything to say, Kimiko rested back against the wall and sighed.

That was when she noticed the canvas and paints scattered about the room. As she strained looking at the mess, Kenichi turned and stood. His softly spoke his explanation, though it sounded weak, as though he was far away. "You know how I said I was an artist?"

"Yeah," Kimiko replied, yawning thereafter.

"Well, I really like doing people's portraits," he told her, twisting the canvas around for her to see, although his body was still in the way. "I hope you don't mind me painting you."

The dark-haired boy took a step away from the portrait, like a showman pulling back the curtains for the theater. The sight before Kimiko took her breath away. Depicted to mirror her incredibly, besides the exaggerated size of the eyes and the brightness of the colors, the painting was simply amazing. Unconsciously pushing a hand through her knotted hair, Kimiko examined the canvas with a smile. Her white shirt was transparent, but the bottom of the portrait cut off anything naughty. _Typical male artist addition,_ Kimiko thought with a grin.

"So you like it?" Kenichi asked eagerly, returning the smile.

At second glance, the portrait still glistened with some fresh paint. Kimiko looked into the eyes of her counterpart, and squinted at the sight. The girl had two eyes, one blue, and one green. She turned her vision to stare upon the young artist, her eyes inquisitively penetrating his, as if probing for an explanation.

"Is something the matter?" Kenichi asked, tugging the cuff of his left sleeve nervously.

"What's with the green eye?" she responded, sliding down to rest her head on her hand.

Looking at the painting, Kenichi shrugged, as if the reason were impossible to explain. "Well when we fell in the water, your eyes shone green." He turned back to her.

The koi pond, the kiss and the dream all flashed in her memory. Forgetting was definitely easier than remembering. "Whatever, it looks cool anyway." He smiled at that, though she unfortunately had to change the mood of their conversation entirely.

"Kenichi?" she asked gravely, which he replied to with a nod as his smile waned. "It's about what we did in the koi pond earlier." He appeared to understand the seriousness of her intentions, and he sobered dramatically as she continued. "Well, that is...you see..." Realizing that she was twiddling her thumb like a fool, she grasped her hands in her lap. "It's really hard to say what I mean."

Kenichi seemed to turn white as a ghost as he sat on the bed staring at his knees. He was probably interpreting her meaning without giving her the chance to say anything. She already regretted bringing the matter up at all, but it could not be helped. Leading him on would only make things worse in time, which had proven itself to backfire terribly in the past.

_How do you tell someone, who seems to have a crush on you, that you were actually a guy at one time and hoped to be one in a mont__h or two, once more?_ Kimiko helplessly wondered. She could tell him that she was not interested, but for some reason the words just would not leave her mouth. He already looked like a fish ensnared on a fisher's hook, squirming around on her line. To just outright say she did not like him the way he wanted was just like telling Shampoo, Ukyou or any of the other girls the same thing.

Instead, she let her mouth run away with her, like usual. "I, we, don't really...know each other so well. I mean, we've never even dated, but it's not that I don't like you, or anything." As she continued, the perplexed look on his face showed that he understood about as much as the fish would as the fisherman told the captured creature that he was sorry for the hole in its mouth, and that he was going to eat it for dinner that very night anyway.

"I think I know what you mean," Kenichi replied before Kimiko could make a bigger fool of herself than she already thought herself to be. "You wanna be friends for a while and take things slow?"

Close enough, she thought with a sigh. "Yeah, I mean, you don't mind, do you?"

Shaking his head, Kenichi smiled, filling most of the imaginary hole in Kimiko's chest. She still felt a little hollow about it though. Strangely enough, his voice did not even sound the least bit disappointed. "Actually, I somewhat feel the same way. When I pulled you in the water, my brain wasn't functioning very well." They both got a giggle out of that, though Kimiko's laughter quieted swiftly.

"How come you told everyone else about the kiss, though?" she asked, remembering the scene right before her and Rintaro's fight. Kenichi closed his eyes, and shook his head as she continued. "Not that I'm really mad, but—"

"I didn't," he interrupted, standing so that he could sit on the bed. "I honestly didn't tell 'em. Rintaro saw the whole thing and told them before your fight. I would have never have told anyone until I knew how you felt about it. You did look kind of weird after...it."

Hoping to dismiss the matter now that it was moving into dangerous territory, and happy that the issue was temporarily resolved, Kimiko decided to lead the conversation elsewhere. "It's over now, so let's forget it. I just want to know that we're still friends." She tried to reach her arm to hold it out for a handshake, but it did not respond well. He seemed to realize what she meant and held out his. As she slowly managed to move it, she asked, "Friends?"

"Yeah, friends," he responded, about to take her hand.

She would have shook his hand, but her back decided that this was the moment it would give out, so she fell forward instead. The really embarrassing part was that she had forgotten to button up her shirt, and although it had been closed during their conversation, it flapped open as she fell, right onto his hand.

Kimiko's whole body felt quite stiff, both with pain and shock, as her head unintentionally fell on his lap. It would not have been nearly as bad if her shirt had not have slipped to her shoulders and his right hand were not somewhere very tender.

"Oh my," Kenichi whispered as he gathered his shaken wits and gently pushed her up by the shoulders. His face burned as bright red as hers felt. The fact that his eyes were not glued to her chest had her impressed, though. That was how most men seemed to react to naked breasts.

Kimiko had no chance to answer in agreement as the door swung open.

"Kenichi, Kimiko, dinner's...ready?" Kiyoshi stood in the doorway, his face completely ashen, his mouth gaping and his eyes wide.

A second passed, allowing everything to sink into Kimiko's mind. She sat on the bed with Kenichi holding her shoulders. Her shirt was wide open, and the two of them were sitting improperly close. Now, her very overprotective and clueless brother was standing far enough away to misread the whole situation, yet close enough to see the major details. This was not good.

"Sorry," Kiyoshi whispered, silently closing the door.

Kimiko turned to face Kenichi the same time he turned to face her. He took one glance at her chest, and his eyes began to roll up in his head. This time she had to catch him as he fell backwards.

The law of predictability stated that the door should open again. And it did.

"What's going on in here, guys?" It was Mayako's turn to stand in the doorway.

"Oh God," Kimiko managed to whisper under her breath as she held Kenichi from falling over. This time her breasts were hanging out as she leaned over him in a very provocative way.

"Whoa!" the conscious twin exclaimed as her gaping turned into a huge grin. "I should leave you two alone." She then closed the door.

"Ahh!" Kimiko shrieked, weakly shaking Kenichi. "Wake up, Kenichi! I can't hold you!"

"Huh?" the boy muttered, slowly regaining conscious. He did not do it quick enough, because her arms gave out and the both tumbled over the side of the bed.

Luckily, Kenichi absorbed the fall with his head. Unfortunately, Kimiko could still only move just about as well as a brick. Her head felt like a spinning top, about to topple over. Too late did she realize that she was not even in the sweats that she had originally been wearing when she had passed out. "Oh God." The futility of it all made her want to scream. Here she was, on top of a very handsome young man, wearing nothing but a baggy unbuttoned shirt and panties, and completely unable to do anything about it. She would definitely think twice before draining her body of its chi a second time.

"Kim...?" Kenichi whispered, since their faces were about three inches apart at best. When the door clicked open a third time, causing Kenichi to look over, Kimiko gave a despairing sigh and let her head fall beside his face in defeat.

"Go Kenichi!" Ryosei's voice echoed from the hall.

"Sorry, he wouldn't believe me," Mayako stated from around the same place. "We won't bother you again." The door closed for a third time, although Ryosei clearly protested. Kimiko thought she heard the door click twice, for some reason...

"I hate my life," Kimiko whispered in his ear after a few moments of peace.

"Why are we like this on the floor?" Kenichi sounded absolutely puzzled. _Maybe he got brain damage from hitting his head,_ Kimiko thought wryly. She knew he understood the gravity of the situation when he stated, "Oh."

"Yeah," she replied softly.

"Is the room spinning for you too?" he asked.

"Like a dreidel."

"You're not wearing pants, are you?"

"Nope."

"Oh my." Kenichi's head fell back against the wooden floor with a thud.

Kimiko only had the energy to sigh.

* * *

The pallor of Kiyoshi's face showed that something was wrong, Nabiki observed as her decade-and-a-half younger boss re-entered the living room like a wraith. Already seated at the dinner table, Nabiki wanted to stand to ask what was the matter, but her younger sister beat her to it, quickly intercepting him.

Kiyoshi obviously did not wish to speak his mind, because he only shook his head and stalked by her, to sit across from Nabiki. She opened her mouth to ask him something, when giggling from the hall and the sound of children rushing towards the living room momentarily stole her attention from Kiyoshi.

Two of the most rambunctious teenagers in the house, Mayako and Ryosei, walked into the living room, laughing about something or another. As Akane sat on Nabiki's left, Mayako bolted to sit across from her mother on Kiyoshi's right. Soun was already sitting at the head of the table, with Genma on the other with Reiko on his left and an empty space on his right. Normally the adults sat in the house, while the kids all ate outside, but this time they had decided to reverse the situation, all but for the ones sitting there now and the absence of the two littlest.

Ryosei frowned slightly while watching Mayako, and then walked and sat next to Nabiki, offering her an unsteady smile.

"What's wrong?" she asked him as he settled in.

"I thought you were observant," he mumbled, shoving his hands in his lap, motioning towards the other side of the table with his head. It only took one look to see what was bothering him, for Mayako was practically drooling over Kiyoshi. "See what?"

Nabiki nodded solemnly, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Ryo-chan. I've seen him turn down beautiful women of all ages. I don't think he's going to make a move on his friend's daughter."

With a sober sigh, Ryosei shook his head. "That's not all that I'm worried about." Nabiki raised an eyebrow as he explained. "She's mooning over him like I don't exist. I mean, I know she's the most insensitive girl alive, but can't she for once just think about someone other than herself?"

Blinking slowly, Nabiki turned back to the scene. Kiyoshi seemed perfectly at ease, now, with both of Mayako's hands clutching his shoulder as she whispered to him. A tinge of jealousy, hardly enough to even be noticed by Nabiki herself, surfaced, but it was enough for her to unconsciously frown. His steel gray eyes met her brown ones, and he smiled. Nabiki could not help but reflexively return his infectious smile with one of her own.

"Auntie?" Ryosei asked her, tapping the hand that still held his shoulder. Regretfully breaking their eye contact, she turned to the boy. He leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "You got a thing for Kim's brother or something?"

Calmly shaking her head, Nabiki silently prayed to all of the holiness in heaven that she would not blush. She whispered a rushed yet plausible explanation. "He's my boss."

"Sure," Ryosei replied with a slight grin. His mischievous eyes glittered. "I'm really not worried about him picking up Mayako now that he's spoken for."

Shrugging her shoulders, Nabiki leaned over to him and whispered, "Five hundred yen says you shut your mouth right now, or I'll tell Mayako about some of the Anime you have stashed in the box hidden in your closet." Savoring the result of her threat, Nabiki watched his face pale and his eyes open wide. Before he could ask, she answered his unspoken question. "I know all, see all, and hear all."

Nodding without an ounce of his former security, he stared down at the table, as if that could somehow save him from the threatened embarrassment.

"I'm glad we are in agreement." Nabiki then looked up and thanked Kasumi as she placed tea on the table in front of her.

Nabiki turned her attention to Mayako, who was virtually attached to Kiyoshi by this time, and to the mother who seemed happily oblivious to the whole thing.

"Is something wrong, Nabiki?" Akane asked, noticing the attention that was paid to her.

Pointing towards the "couple", Nabiki smiled wryly.

Akane turned, looked straight past Mayako and Kiyoshi, smiled at Kiyoshi who smiled back, and then turned back to Nabiki. "What?"

Did she...approve...of them? A memory involving Akane's crush over Dr. Tofu bubbled to the surface, but Nabiki pushed it back. No, Akane would not approve of her daughter pursuing a man ten years older, even if she had in her youth. At least, Nabiki hoped that Akane would not. But, it was not like Kiyoshi was "spoken for" as Ryosei had put it. He had been acting unusually casual with her the entire evening, especially for an employer and employee, but maybe he did not mean anything by it. Perhaps that was just how he acted normally. Nabiki certainly did not know him well enough to discern whether his behavior had been "unusual" or not.

"Never mind," Nabiki replied to her younger sister.

* * *

"You sure you're okay?" Kenichi asked Kimiko softly, as she unsteadily laid her eyes on him. She then blinked and refocused her eyes on him again. He bit his bottom lip before continuing. "I'm sure my mom would bring you up something to eat, if you want?" Her face looked a little pallid, and her movements were strained, but the determination of her voice fiercely warded his attempts at concern.

"Already said I'm fine," she shot back. Pushing her hands through her knotted hair, Kimiko took a deep breath. "And I'm not tired enough to miss dinner." She frowned. "What's the smile for?"

Letting his face fall neutral, Kenichi had not even known that he smiled. He shrugged and pushed his hands in his pockets, rocking gently on his heels as he answered. "I don't know. I'm just happy, I guess."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Why?" His soft whisper was more of a question to himself than to her, but she replied anyway.

"Yeah, what's there to be happy about?" She was sitting on his bed, her hands rested on her knees, her shining eyes rested upon him. His mother had cleaned and washed Kimiko's gray silk blouse and her navy blue skirt. They did not quite seem to be colors that suited Kimiko well, but they did match her mood now.

"What's not to be happy about?" he returned with a shrug. Smiling, Kenichi held out his hand to help her stand. "I mean, with everything considered, things aren't so bad right now."

Kimiko blinked a few times, fluttering her lashes and putting her left hand to her forehead. "Even though I gave you the old, 'Let's just be friends,' excuse?" Then with her right hand, she grasped his. Her soft yet strong hand rubbed against his as he practically yanked her to her feet. Whether she needed to be helped that much, or she purposefully meant to weigh him down, he did not know.

"I needed to hear that excuse," he answered, still holding her hand, even as she stood on her own two feet. Looking down at his feet, he wistfully sighed as he released it. Thinking for a moment, Kenichi looked up to meet her sapphire blue eyes. "Want to hear something stupid?"

Covering her yawning mouth with her hand, Kimiko nodded. She looked exhausted, standing there with her weight shifted to one hip and her eyes fighting to stay open. When she lowered her hand, she mumbled, "So tell me already."

"Well," he began, suddenly not sure if he wanted to tell her. "It's really embarrassing, so you have to promise not to laugh."

With a three-fingered salute to her brow, she promised, "Scouts honor."

After taking a deep breath, Kenichi shoved his hands back in his pockets, shying his face from her. "You remember when we bumped into each other at the airport?" She nodded to his question. "Well, after that, I didn't think we'd ever see each other again. So, I wished that we could bump into each other again."

"Why would I laugh at that?"

Looking up at her, Kenichi wondered at the solemn tone of her voice. Did she wish the same thing? Did fate bring them together like this because they both wanted it? Pushing those romantic notions from his head, he tried to formulate a response. "So...uh...did you wish too?"

Tried to formulate was right, although her answer was even more bizarre. "No. I followed you." With a hand against her face, he could discern a wince from the genuine look of pain on her face.

"You okay?" He hurried to her side, putting his arm around her shoulder in support.

"I'm fine!" she blurted, leaning against him like dead weight.

"Whoa," he muttered, directing her to sit on the bed. He wanted to get an explanation as to why she followed him, but asking might only upset her further. That he did not want. "Sit here a second. There's no rush to eat."

"I'm starving," she replied, resuming the task of sitting herself up. "And I'm fighting to stay awake. I can't even think straight. That technique really sucks after the fight's over."

"What technique?" Kenichi prodded enthusiastically.

"How come you think I didn't lose?" She turned to face him then, steadying herself with both of her hands pressed against the bed. "An amazing recovery at the last moment? A second wind?"

Honestly confused, Kenichi nodded.

With a brisk shake of her head, Kimiko looked away. "Nah, that's not it at all. I just copied Rintaro."

"Copied him?"

"Yeah." She whispered with a nod. Sliding her hands to her knees, Kimiko took a deep breath. "I've never really thought about what keeps me from getting hurt by punches and stuff, like normal people would. I've always attributed it to toughness and being battle-hardened—that kind of stuff."

"Isn't it?" Kenichi asked, as he held the same belief. After being on the receiving end of enough punches, he just got used to it after a while. It was not a conscious thing, because he certainly did not need to think about it. It simply was.

"Some, yes," she responded. "Some of it is conditioning, and training and taking enough hits. But most of it isn't. I've survived a lot of stuff that would kill most people in the best of conditions. I've never, ever asked why, or even thought about it. I always assumed I was simply better than everyone else, that somehow I'd achieved a higher form of physical training." Pausing for a moment, she shifted her bare feet against his wooden floor. Kenichi allowed her the time to finish her answer, as he was truly intrigued where she was heading.

"I realized today that I was only partially right. I did achieve a sort of higher form of training, but it wasn't physical. Although it took me a lot of time to realize it, and even when I used it today, I didn't think about the technique itself too much. Rintaro had been using it the whole time, wrapped up tight like a present with enough stuffing to let the contents survive a drop off a skyscraper.

"Somehow, his chi was shielding him from my attacks. I was able to absorb a lot of his punches, but he was really doing a number on my body, because I'm not really in the greatest of shape currently." As Kimiko continued, Kenichi mentally remarked on how much he disagreed about her physical condition. "Anyway, I realized what he was doing and why he was so uncaring through the whole thing. That was the way he avoided damage, somehow channeling his chi to absorb the blows. I don't even think he was doing it consciously."

Blinking with more than a little confusion, Kenichi stopped her by putting his hand on hers. "Wait a second. You mean that technique was like something out of Cyber School Rumble? That the reason you beat him was because you magically shielded yourself from damage?" Half-believing, and the other half waiting for her to break out laughing like Mayako would, Kenichi stared at her.

"Cyber School Rumble?" she asked, curiously.

"Yeah. It just came out on console."

"Oh, a video game," she replied, staring down at his hand, which was still on top of hers.

"Nah, a cyber game," Kenichi corrected, pulling his hand away, embarrassed. "But you know what I mean?"

She nodded, interlacing her fingers together. "I think I do, and I guess that's one fiction based on reality."

"Cool!" he exclaimed, bouncing on the bed a few times. "You're not even kidding, are you?"

"Why would I kid you?" Kimiko asked, more reflectively than wanting and answer. "But yeah, like a 'cyber game,' I guess."

Going back to her original statement, he wondered aloud, "So why'd you say 'that really technique really sucks,' then?"

Sighing, she unclenched her hands and pushed them to the bed. "It literally drained me. I used up everything and..." Kimiko turned her head away from him as she pushed herself to her feet. "And passed out."

A clattered knock at the door dispelled their conversation, and caused Kimiko to fall back onto the bed.

"Can I come in?" It was his mother's voice.

"Yeah," Kenichi called back.

The door swung open, revealing Akane carrying a tray of food. "I thought that I'd bring you two some food, since neither of you were coming down." As she approached, Kenichi spotted three very full plates and three beverages. "And that I might join you?"

Although he would rather be alone with Kimiko, Kenichi agreed with a nod. Akane set the tray on the floor and beckoned them to join her as she took her plate from it.

"Thank you, Mom," Kenichi told her as he slid to the floor, and took a plate and a glass of juice.

"Aren't you hungry, Kimiko?" his mother asked the redhead.

Kenichi turned to look up at her still sitting on the bed. Her face was red with embarrassment, as she sat, slumped over onto her right hand. Her voice conveyed how she felt as she spoke. "Yeah, but..."

Realizing her plight from their conversation before, Kenichi stood up and sat next to her, reaching under her armpit and around her back.

"Are you all right, honey?" Akane whispered, across to her as the two children slowly slid to their knees.

"I'm just exhausted," Kimiko admitted as Kenichi let her go when she was adjacent to the tray of food. "And very hungry. Thank you so much for bringing it to me, Akane-san."

With one of her omniscient motherly smiles, Akane reached for her drink. Kenichi lifted his and took a sip. It was some sort of artificially-flavored citrus drink, probably enriched with more vitamins than existed, and it tingled slightly as it went down. The meal itself smelled and looked very promising, though.

Kenichi watched Kimiko lethargically take her plate and beverage, and later how she slowly ate her food, seeming to pause with every bite.

"I wanted to ask you a question, if that is all right, Kimiko." Akane set her chopsticks on the side of the plate, and set her hands on her knees. "And I also needed to talk to the both of you." Kenichi reflexively gulped at the serious tone of her voice.

"Of course, Akane-san," Kimiko replied evenly, her eyes half-shut. "Go ahead and ask."

Taking a bite of something particularly tasty, Kenichi listened in as the two women talked.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want," his mother began. That meant that the subject matter was as serious as she had sounded. Kimiko nodded, signaling her to begin. "Well, I really wanted to know about your parents. I tried asking your brother, but he only said that you were the only one who could answer. I really wouldn't pry into such a delicate matter like this, but..."

Kimiko waved her hand and shook her head, yawning as she let Akane know that it was all right. "It's okay, Akane-san. No need to explain. I was bound to explain it to one of you anyway." Kenichi looked at her with serious curiosity, not noticing his mother's slightly surprised look.

Hanging her head low, Kimiko studied her plate, suddenly finding it interesting. She sighed so sorrowfully that Kenichi wanted to hold her and tell her that all was well. Then, she spoke with slow, calculated words.

"I never really knew my mother," she began, setting her chopsticks down. "My dad never really talked about her much, and always jumped to another subject whenever it came up. I honestly didn't question him much about it until I was about six or seven, but after I realized it didn't really matter, so I gave up." Covering her mouth as she yawned, Kimiko closed her eyes. After recovering, she continued. "That's really it for my mother. My father's another story.

"We really bonded on some levels, but he was always so detached from himself and me. We sort of jumped around from place to place for a real long time, until we settled down a while back. Compared to our vagrancy, that didn't last long. He disappeared one night after..."

Her words ended abruptly and she lifted her glass and took a sip. She looked up at Kenichi's mother, who was just as silently shocked as he. Kenichi was honestly confused. Did her father not die?

"Kiyoshi told me about that part," Akane admitted. "You've answered my question adequately enough. And I'm really sorry for bringing you the pain again, but I really had to know."

"I understand," Kimiko replied, staring at her glass as she held her glass with both hands. "Was that all you wanted to ask me?" Akane nodded and smiled.

Kenichi certainly had more than a few questions, but they could wait. This was neither the right time, nor the right place for them.

"There is one thing I'd like to talk to the both of you about, though," Akane told them, staring at Kenichi until he finished chewing his food.

"What's that?" Kenichi asked innocently, completely unaware of what it could be. He looked over at Kimiko who lowered and shied her face from them. Obviously she knew something, but what?

"It's about you two," Akane said, motioning with her hand, as though that was supposed to mean something to him.

"And what?" he questioned. His mother simply glared at him, as if he was supposed to know the answer to a question that she had not even asked. "I don't get it."

"She wants to know what we're doing, kissing and stuff since we only met a few days ago," Kimiko bluntly informed him.

Suddenly, Kenichi felt the temperature of his room rise several degrees, his heart decided it was a good time to go on a marathon, and his skin felt the need to sweat from every pore of his body.

"Sort of," Akane agreed with a giggle. "And this isn't a trial, Kenichi, so stop looking like you've committed a crime." Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared directly at him. "I just want to let you know that it's okay as long as you're cautious."

The moan from Kimiko, and the intense red of her turned face suggested that something was amiss, but Kenichi was not quite the best at putting two and two together when it came to subtle things such as this. It most likely had to do with the fact that he did not want to realize the answer was really four, but nevertheless, he still had a blank look on his face when he looked between his mother and Kimiko.

"Cautious about what?"

Akane sighed as Kimiko groaned again, leaving Kenichi to stare in puzzlement. The next thought he had made his jaw drop.

"No, no, no, no, no!" he exclaimed, warding towards his mother with his hands. "It's not like that at all!" Not that he did not want it to be, it was just that it was not like that, yet. "I...we...I mean, you know what I mean!"

"Oh?" Akane murmured, looking puzzled. "Mayako blurted an interesting tale that led me to believe..."

"It was a misunderstanding," Kimiko interrupted quickly, having regained her composure. "I wasn't able to move very well, and Kenichi seemed to have overloaded his brain when I fell on him." The 'believe it or not' tone she used settled the doubt in Kenichi's mother's eyes.

"If anyone in Japan knows about misunderstandings, it's me," Akane informed them. "I trust you two. And if it does come to what I said before, then just be safe."

If he had heard her right, he would have assumed she meant that she thought it was okay for him to have intercourse with the girl that sat next to him and across from her. No, he thought, he could not have heard that right...or did he? Oh boy...one look at Kimiko was all it took to realize she had...talk about befuddlement.

Akane laughed, throwing back her head as her body shook. "Oh God, you two look so funny. I'm so sorry for putting you guys on the spot like that. You really aren't having sex!" That added a few more degrees to the room.

Going from the third time he had ever kissed a girl, and the first time he had actually wanted the aforementioned kiss, straight to practically receiving parental blessing to skip the entire dating process and hop into bed simply left Kenichi without a brain cell left to think. Well, maybe it was time for a nice mental vacation anyway.

Luckily, bad luck in this case, Kimiko caught him. Her hands were shaky as she held him from planting his face into his food. The comfortable bliss of unconsciousness called to him, but when he realized her strain, he quickly sat back.

His mother giggled uncontrollably as Kimiko rested back on her hands.

"You remind me of your father so much when you do that, Kenichi!"

Quickly diving back into eating his dinner, Kenichi tried to ignore his mother, while still flashing glances at Kimiko to make sure she was okay. Their conversation after that was much less embarrassing than before, although his mother added a comment or two about them, but he ignored it. Kimiko, for the most part, remained silent, staring intently at whoever was speaking while she ate, nodded and occasionally spoke.

Unfortunately the night had to end sometime, no matter how much Kenichi enjoyed it. Akane beckoned them to come downstairs, now that Kimiko had a full stomach and was feeling marginally better, and they did so. As they arrived in the dining room where everyone was talking, Kenichi realized that Kiyoshi was already wishing everyone farewell.

Kimiko and her brother shared a word while Kenichi waited for her, but then she, too, announced her departure. Reiko had already left with her parents, so that left Mai and Mayako to be the ones to hug her goodbye. Kiyoshi had already left at this point, and Kimiko was ready to follow when Kenichi gently caught her hand.

"Please wait," he insisted, not releasing her. She nodded, and he drew close and whispered, "Why did you follow me?"

Kimiko obviously knew what he was talking about, because she suddenly looked very panicked. Her eyes glanced over the rest of the household, which was wishing each other goodbye as well.

She whispered in his ear, and quickly turned the other way, running as fast as her legs would carry her. Kenichi only stared after her, even as everyone hugged him and left.

"What is it?" his mother asked, putting her arm him. "What did she whisper?"

Kenichi looked over, smiling broadly. "She said I was cute!"

* * *

Choking on air with fits of coughing, Kimiko dropped like dead weight onto the leather bench seat of the black limousine. Fleeing from the house as she had probably made her look like an embarrassed little girl, but the result was easily worth the price. Instead of thinking of a logical answer to Kenichi's question, she had told him he was cute so that he would drop the issue. It seemed to have worked, rather well in fact, but that pushed her into a whole new set of problems. Of all the excuses she could have used, why did that pop into her head? In any case, he probably would not question her about following him when they had first met.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid__!_ She silently cursed herself. Her head felt like it was splitting already, and everything still seemed a little hazy, but otherwise she felt that she had a good grip over her wits. Kiyoshi sat across from her with his legs crossed with his eyes piercing hers. Kimiko challengingly stared back, though she could barely even sit up on her own at the moment. Earlier when she had tried to explain the situation to him, he had brushed her off by saying, "Later," and then left. It stung to think about how he probably thought of her now, but at least she could set the record straight.

The limousine hummed quietly as it traveled the windy streets of Nerima. The thick, tinted windows obscured all but the brightest of Tokyo's lights, and those only shone through faintly. A few hidden lamps lit the spacious interior of the car, but she almost wished it were dark, so she would not have to return Kiyoshi's stare.

He turned his head, though, to look out the window on his right. She turned too, to watch as the lights blurred by, streaking in her vision. Slowly regaining her composure and her breath, Kimiko sat up and formed her back to the contour of the backrest. The cool, smooth leather felt refreshing under her skin. She could barely make out the slight frown on his face, and the incline of his brows.

Unable to wait any longer, Kimiko said, "It's not what it seemed like earlier, Kiyoshi," emphasizing his name.

Her older brother did not respond, still staring out the window. Usually he was pretty open with his feelings, but not now. He did shrug a few moments later, but did not even turn to face her.

"I'm telling the truth," she relented, leaning forward on her knees. "I was feeling really dizzy and I fell on him. We didn't do anything." She sighed in exasperation at his silence after that, and then frowned at him.

"Why explain to me?" he asked, rotating his head to look at her. "You're an adult and can make your own decisions. For all I care, you can play with whoever you want." His icy words stung her, and she winced as if she had been slapped. Turning back to the window, he rested his right arm against it, and then hid his face.

"You don't believe me," she whispered back, fighting the rush of emotions assaulting her with no little amount of anger. It was not so hard after so much practice of bundling them up, and without much practice she would probably have been crying already. "I'm not lying, you know. We didn't do anything Amanda wouldn't have approved of."

An exhausted sigh passed from his lips, as if he had carried a burden for centuries, finally able to let it fall from his shoulders. He closed his eyes and slouched in his seat. "I'm sorry." Snapping up straight, Kiyoshi opened his eyes and stared down at his shoes. "I didn't mean that. It's just that when I saw you with him like that, I felt betrayed somehow." Sighing again, he looked up at her. "It's really hard to explain."

"It's okay," Kimiko softly told him. It was the story of her life anyway, embarrassing situations, misread signals, etc. At the very least, she was not sporting any new bruises from it anymore, just from the 'normal' fights. "And you have every right to be mad if I had done what it seemed like I was doing."

Shaking his head, Kiyoshi stated, "I think that's exactly why I felt angry." He blinked, and then turned and scooted across the car to steal the seat next to her. Putting his arm over her shoulder, he stated, "It's because I have no right to do anything, no right to be mad. You are an adult, and you are responsible for your own actions. I've been deluding myself into thinking you're something that you're not the entire time I've been helping you get back on your feet." Leaning his head back, Kiyoshi closed his eyes.

Although she could concede his point, Kimiko almost did not want to agree. All along, he was the older brother she had never had in her childhood, a proper role-model she had lacked, and a loving, responsible adult that would hopefully always be there when she needed him. It had never really occurred to her much before of how deeply she loved him, like a real sister would love a brother. It was really too bad that he was not her real brother, so that he would have the right to a place in her life in his own mind, though he owned one nonetheless. Twenty years ago it would have been a different story, but this was definitely not twenty years ago.

"You're wrong," she told him, pulling his arm to enwrap her more. It felt so right to her as she rested her head against his chest, if not just a little bit odd having the positions reversed from what she had grown used to. But whatever, she was tired of criticizing herself.

"I am?" He sounded confused as he put his other arm around her, clasping his hands together.

"Yup," she replied playfully. Holding his arms, she ran her hands down the length of his soft silk shirt. "You have every right to be mad, and you know why?"

"No, I don't," he whispered. "Tell me."

Her face felt a little flushed, but luckily it was dark and he was not staring at her. "You earned the right," she emphatically told him. "I owe you so much, and you owe me nothing. And whether you think so or not, you are a part of my life, my only family. I realized that when I was in California, and especially when we got back and everyone became strangers. That piece of paper that says we're family doesn't mean anything. It's what you've done for me that makes it real. I want that. I want you to be a part of my life, now and forever."

As she waited for his reply, it was an uneasy silence for her to withstand. Speaking from the heart had never been an easy thing for her, and this was hardly an exception. Meaning every word that she had spoken, Kimiko gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, in the arms of a person she would have been all to grateful to have called father so long ago.

No one else but Akane had ever made her feel truly comfortable, and even then, it was only in the final stage of their relationship.

"I would be honored, Kimiko Nishiyama," Kiyoshi whispered solemnly, hugging her gently. "I feel the same way. You know, I've always been so alone throughout my life, but not recently, not anymore. You've really made my life more complete than it's ever been. And because of that, our debts to one another are cancelled." He paused, nuzzling her hair with his face. "I guess I was scared that you didn't need me anymore since you seem to have found a life and place with the Tendous again."

As the car pulled to a stop at a light, Kimiko wondered about his last words. Had she found a place among the Tendous, as a friend to the children of her former fiancée? Granted they certainly liked her, but would that be enough for life to be tolerable so close to Akane? Could she live in the shadow of Akane's husband, forever glancing at the woman who should have been hers? Although her pride answered yes, that she could do it, her heart adamantly replied no, and all the while her mind only gave reasons to both stay and leave. The whole thing felt as though she was being dragged in both directions and her arms were beginning to tear off.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?"

Shrugging in reply, Kimiko sighed as her only answer. There were no plans for tomorrow, or the next day, or the next. Life was already pushing enough in her face to deal with that; plans could only make things more complicated. There were her remaining feelings for Akane and the awkwardness with Kenichi for starters, while further down the agenda was the curse, Lily, and any number of smaller problems.

"If you're not doing anything, why not come with me to visit some old associates of mine? I talked with them a week before, and they're dying to meet you. And I did sort of promise that I would introduce you."

"Okay," Kimiko agreed quickly, having nothing better to do as it was. Even as she thought about it, she had not promised the Tendous anything for the following day, anyway. Plus, it would be quite interesting to meet some of Kiyoshi's 'old associates,' though just how old they were, she could only speculate. "Who are they?"

Kiyoshi hummed in reply, but took a moment to answer. "You'll really have to just wait and see. We're meeting at a Karaoke bar, around six or seven. That still sound okay with you?"

"That's fine," she agreed, following that with a yawn. "What about before then? Are you busy?"

"Unfortunately," he affirmed sadly.

The journey continued, but their conversation was at its end for the time being. Between the smooth ride and the warmth, Kimiko began to drift in and out of sleep. Her brief sleep was pleasantly devoid of dreams, especially so, considering her last. It had been so disturbing that it had rendered the precious moments of rest she had obtained while unconscious nearly useless.

A slight nudge roused her and she squinted her eyes open. Kiyoshi smiled down at her, and she sat up, realizing that she had been lying across the bench seat. The ride was over, having taken them to their destination, and Kimiko wearily rested her bare feet on the soft carpeting of the limousine.

"I forgot my shoes at the Tendou's," she stated with a slurred voice.

"I can carry you," he offered as the driver opened the door for them to exit.

"No thanks," Kimiko replied, groggily following him. When offered, she took his arm and they went through the hotel until they arrived at the room.

Under absolutely no illusion that she would stay awake much longer, Kimiko walked straight to and plopped onto her bed. The digital clock next to her read 10:39, but it felt so much later. That fight had been worth every ounce of energy she lacked now. It was probably the closest thing to a real fight that she would experience for a long time, mostly since no fiancées or rivals would be coming for her now.

Though she had not even taken off her clothes, the moment she settled her body comfortably, exhaustion consumed her.


	7. Part Two: Haunted Pasts (4 of 4)

**Misery Loves Company**  
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Part Two: Haunted Pasts  
(4 of 4)

Resting his head against the backboard of the hotel bed, Kiyoshi stared at the door to the room. With the comforter bundled up by his feet, leaving only the top sheet to cover him, he controlled his breathing, inhaling and exhaling incredibly slowly. Something within him was bursting, but he firmly held it in check, unwilling to let anything reach the surface.

How was he supposed to feel about this? These emotions were unfamiliar to him. A century of pain was enough to rob anyone of heartfelt pleasure—even the very memory of it. And now, someone extremely close to him, closer than he had been to nearly anyone, someone whom he feared he might reject with these emotions was evoking them.

There was no doubt in his heart, mind or soul that what he was experiencing was love, and yet he did not wish to recognize it. To do so might de-evolve him back into the monster he once was, and he would rather fall straight into hell than repeat that past. Love was only a derivative of lust, and lust is candy to the body, but ultimately torture to the soul, his soul.

And yet, that did not make any sense to him. He did not lust after her. He had not lusted after anyone since his reformation, within his conscious control, and somehow he knew that what he felt for his charge, his new sister, Kimiko was not lust.

What was it then: a love a father might have for a daughter, a brother for a sister? Or was it something more? Kiyoshi simply did not have the experience to discern the answer to his grave problem. Questioning it only brought him more confusion, so he would need to sort through his feelings, and hopefully shed some light on the situation.

On one hand, he truly admired her. Kimiko's perseverance through the worst of situations, and her amazing ability to pull her wits together after something as traumatic as she had gone through were nothing less than astounding. The experience would have killed a lesser person, and it would have probably tried Kiyoshi to the limit as well.

On the other hand, he thought her attractive, inside as well as out. Underneath, he saw the soul forged of steel, as brilliant as it was beautiful. Fighting beside her or against her, he felt the rush of her spirit brushing against him. She was so powerful, and held the ability for so much more, that he could not help but to be tantalized by it. To work with her so that she might reach her fullest potential was enough to keep him living another century or two, if it would be required of him to fulfill it.

Without, she was a beauty as well. From the way she approached a fight, sauntering over to her opponent like a lethal viper, to the time the sun sparkled off her skin when he had taken her to the southern California beaches, he could not think of words to express the anxiety he felt. If not even for that, her smile easily broke past his inner defenses, even occasionally stealing away his wits.

If it had not been for that moment in the car when Kimiko fell asleep against him, he might not have even come to realize what he was dealing with now. She had seemed so helpless in his arms with her hair splashed up against him, and then she had turned to face him, propped up on her left shoulder with her head resting against his right arm like a pillow. It had hit him so strongly when she reached around his waist and hugged him tightly, whispering softly in her sleep. His spine had tingled, and that feeling seemed to have spread all over his body.

Breaking his concentration, Kiyoshi kicked off his sheets and swung his legs around to sit on the edge of the bed. _Could that have been love?_ he wondered. He wondered if fathers had ever felt like that holding their daughters, so close to their child, sharing a bond that defied explanation and logic. Was that it? Could all that he have felt for her merely be a strong attachment he had developed over the year he had been training her?

Although it seemed that way, he did not think it was the complete answer. He was a father to her in some ways, but their relationship was filled with entirely too much mutual respect for each other to simply write off everything with such an explanation. There was definitely something else to the equation. He needed to find out what that was and control it, before it could ever gain the possibility of controlling him. In his life, his profession and with his past, there simply was no room for unsolved mysteries.

Lowering himself off the bed, his feet met the cool, wooden floor. The pant legs of his pajama bottoms fell into place, tickling his ankles. Adjusting his long-sleeved top, he walked to the door and opened it. The small hall was completely dark, because the room to both Kimiko's room and the living room were both closed tightly, and his room was already entirely pitch black.

Cautiously turning the knob to Kimiko's door, he took a deep breath. As he pushed the door open, he quietly tiptoed into the room, and then shut the door behind him. Her soft, slow-rhythm breathing keyed him in to realize that she slept very soundly. Feeling his way through the dark, he found the foot of her bed and walked around to its side.

From the sound of her breathing, he judged her to be in the middle of the bed, so he sat on the edge with his back to her. Reaching to the bedside table, he found the lamp and switched it on. It only shed a soft light with the first twist, and he had no need for any more illumination.

Turning around to face her, he nearly chuckled at the sight. Completely dressed in all but her missing shoes, Kimiko lay on her side with both hands under her head, knees bunched up to her chest, and her mouth slightly open. She looked like she had in the car, so peaceful, innocent and so utterly helpless. A smile shaped on his lips as he watched her sleep.

At times, Kimiko acted just as well as any adult and just as maturely, yet put in a situation with children, she would promptly shift her attitude to coincide with theirs. It seemed as if there was a struggle inside her for dominance, the child that was never allowed to be and the adult she had grown up to become. It was the child inside of her that made him feel like a father to her, and it was the adult within her that confused his emotions.

Right now the child in her beckoned to him. Leaning over, he slid her skirt off and then tossed it over onto the chair in the corner of the room. Drawing upon years of experience, he removed her bra without even ruffling her blouse, and then tossed that on top of her skirt. As she drew herself up into a ball, already shivering from the chill in the room, Kiyoshi sneaked the comforter from beneath her, sliding it to her feet. Lastly, he then covered her with it, tucking her in tightly so that only her head poked out.

Satisfied, Kiyoshi paused at her bedside for a moment. Reaching over, he clicked off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness once more. With a departing sigh, he turned and walked to door. As his hand hovered above the doorknob, he stopped.

"Kiyoshi?"

The whisper came from Kimiko, and he turned back around just as the lamp switched on again. Rubbing her face with one hand, and holding herself upright with the other, Kimiko groggily yawned.

"It's me," he answered, calmly standing by the door. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"Don't worry 'bout it," she said, propping herself against the headboard. "Something the matter?"

Taking a deep breath, Kiyoshi wondered about that himself. Was there a real reason why he'd come here, maybe hoping that she would wake for him to speak with her.

"Why don't you sit?" Patting the space next to her, she smiled at him, the same smile that he had thought about earlier. The adult within her was now in control, he could tell. Her easy smile, and the warm look in her eyes radiated comfort, it seemed, and he could only smile back.

Walking around the bed again, he sat where she had indicated with his back to her. Unsure of what to say, of how he could explain his feelings to her, Kiyoshi remained silent in thought.

"You wouldn't have come in here if something wasn't on your mind," she whispered in his ear. Draping her arms around him, she loosely hugged his back and rested her chin on his right shoulder. "Now tell me what's wrong, and don't give me any excuses either."

Shrugging helplessly, Kiyoshi sat in silence for a moment before responding. "I couldn't sleep, so I went to check up on you and tuck you in." He felt bad about not divulging the entirety of his plight, but he did tell the truth. Even knowing she would not buy that as the whole story, he still did not know what he could tell her.

* * *

"Thank you," Kimiko told her older brother, fondly tightening her hug for a moment. Even as she loosened her grip, she remained holding onto him. This way, he would not have a chance to escape before answering her question correctly. "I don't even remember falling asleep. You undressed me?"

"Yeah," he replied softly.

"What a nice older brother you are," she teased. Sitting back, she released him and rested against the backboard of the bed. Kiyoshi still faced away from her, staring at the floor. Curious to know what brought him here, she asked him again. "Now tell me why you really came in here. What's bothering you?"

"I really don't even know," he answered, turning his body to half face her. The tone of his voice suggested he was trying to tell her something greater, because it was so serious. "It doesn't matter anyway."

Already feeling rejuvenated from her short rest, Kimiko lifted her leg, and planted her foot squarely on his back with enough momentum to drive him to the floor. Breaking into giggles when his body met the wooden floor, she clutched her stomach.

"Funny," Kiyoshi muttered as he rose from the floor.

Nodding with agreement, Kimiko stopped laughing and only returned his glare with a smile. Sometimes he could be much too serious, and the next moment he would act like a little kid again. She just wished he would make up his mind.

"If you're not going to tell me, at least make up something good. I was having a nice dream for once, and you interrupted it. Now sit down, facing me, and spit it out." Having seriously drawn her line, Kimiko crossed her arms and waited for him.

With his hands indignantly placed on his hips, looking over to the door, Kiyoshi stood silently for a moment. He then shrugged and crawled up onto her bed to the very center where he crossed his legs and sat facing her. His steel gray eyes searched for something around the room, as if he was seeing it for the first time.

Shaking her head, Kimiko pointed directly at his face, taking his attention. "Look here," she told him, and then pointed a finger back at herself. "No evading me like that. Just tell me and get it over with. What are you scared of?"

"I'm scared of many things, Kimiko-chan," he replied stoically, now returning her stare. "But most of all, the fear that brought me here tonight." He blinked, building the drama, and then folded his hands together, interlacing his fingers.

"Well, what is it?" she asked, curious what one of the fiercest martial artists on the planet was afraid of.

"Losing you," he answered so seriously that she had no doubt of the truth of his words.

Blinking in disbelief, she peered at him. "What do you mean, losing me? Come on, that doesn't make any sense. I'm not going anywhere without you."

"That's not how I meant it," he began. "I was thinking more to the lines of losing you spiritually. From what I heard of your last battle, you weren't quite up to your usual standards, and in fact, quite distracted through a great portion of the fight."

Shrugging him off, she began feeling a little defensive. This was definitely not something she felt like discussing, right now of all times. She knew what he was getting at, and it bothered her. Had they not already talked this over once?

"I had a few things on my mind," she admitted, turning her head. "But, I got back in there once I realized Rintaro was so serious. Nothing serious. It's not like I lost or anything." Before he even said it, Kimiko knew his rebuttal would lie around her having fallen unconscious after the fight.

"For all intensive purposes, you did lose. You were not on your mark, you took a beating, and you underestimated your enemy. I thought you were past all these amateur mistakes?" When Kimiko glanced at him briefly, she caught his intense glare.

"Ok, so I messed up," she conceded. "I'll do better next time, big brother." Flashing her eyelashes at him, she giggled when he rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Kiyoshi. You really need to lighten up a little. It's not like my life was at stake." Though she had to admit she had taken it too seriously at the time, she knew he was above harping on a few mistakes she had already realized that she'd made.

"Sorry, but that's not what actually has me concerned."

_Here it comes,_ she thought to herself as the smile faded from her face. "And what would that be, then?"

"I'm sure you already know, little sister," he whispered.

"Enlighten me." If he was going to bring it up, he would have to say it himself. There was no way that she would let him fool her into blurting anything out.

"Akane," he stated. The name itself sounded strange coming from his lips as he spoke it. "You have bottled up your feelings for her, not allowing yourself to grieve."

Ignoring the growing tightness in her chest, she shook her head in fervent denial. She wanted to shout back, and speak every foul word in her vocabulary for both English and Japanese, but she did not because she knew he was right. Her watery eyes were enough to discredit her regardless of what she had to say anyway.

"I'm sorry, love, but I'm right." He closed his eyes and yawned. "Your first love, the woman you were supposed to marry, has taken another, and you can't even acknowledge that you're hurt. Well, you can act like that, but it doesn't change anything, except make things worse for you. And for me. And for anyone who comes within a thirty-meter radius. Don't hide your feelings, especially from me. Otherwise, you'll never recover." He stopped and opened his eyes.

"What would you know about it, Kiyoshi?" She glared at him to prove her point, but instead of the usual jocular, cynical remark or some universal truth that she might have expected, he stunned her with the sincerity and content of his next words.

"I had someone once," Kiyoshi quietly remarked, his voice solemn and serious. The twinkle in his eyes dimmed and the vitality of his manner diminished. He returned her stare, almost indignantly as he prepared to recount a tale long secured in the far reaches of his past, which was lukewarm at best. His steel-gray eyes fell to the side, unable to keep eye contact.

"Really?" Kimiko innocently asked, drawing closer to her benefactor, intensely interested and surprised by his sudden openness. "Please tell me about it. I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"It was a very long time ago," he admitted, resting his arms across his chest. He took a deep, sorrowful breath, but he did not withdraw from her and began a truthful tale. "I was in my early twenties." As he began, his seriousness faded slightly, returning the life previously occupying him, releasing some of Kimiko's worry over the man. "I was young and handsome, and she was only one year my junior, and very beautiful." He toyed with his shirtsleeves, staring intently at them, but his lips curled into a slight grin.

"Handsome?" she asked, grinning smartly.

"Okay, so maybe I wasn't the most attractive person in the world," he gave in, returning her infectious smile. "Or tall, for that matter." She giggled a bit and he let her finish before he continued. "I was about your height now, and though I wasn't the greatest looker in the world, I wasn't ugly either. I met the would-be love of my life then. She was a farmer's daughter, a rich farmer, and I was a poor man's son, an unlikely and unwelcome match for her." The bitterness he expressed was muted by time, but Kimiko still could hear it in his tones. Time could make things hurt less, but it can never fully make things better. "Needless to say, things didn't work out as I fantasized."

"When was this?" Kimiko interjected as he paused, intrigued with the knowledge.

"It was almost twenty years before the first World War," he answered, rubbing his arms nervously. He continued with his tale. For the first time since she had come to know him as he presently was, he truly sounded his own age. Beauty was just a mask he wore, covering an ancient, tortured soul. The coldness of his eyes was warmed by his admission, and the darkness receded from his face. "I met her on a cloudy, starless night a month before the harvest moon. I was running a task for my father when I saw her for the first time. The waxing moon poked through clouds, its light dancing on her pale skin. Her long black hair shone, and her skin glowed. She was unlike anyone I had ever seen. My heart pounded fast in my chest, and my cheeks flushed. I can only imagine how foolish I must have looked, gawking at her as I had as she sat on the edge of the village well."

From his pajama pocket on his left breast, he pulled a white silk handkerchief. Kimiko noted the reverence with which he held it, unconsciously stroking it with his thumb as he held it in the palm of his right hand. He sighed wistfully before he continued. "She did not even spare me a glance, though I gave her my complete attention. Had I decided to concentrate on completing the task set forth by my father, I might have saved myself from love, but instead I gathered my wits and introduced myself." He paused, replacing the handkerchief in his pocket.

"Don't stop now," Kimiko playfully whined.

Kiyoshi nodded with a weak grin. "She looked up at me after I said my name, and she smiled. It sent waves of energy through my body. I knew that smile was meant for me, and then she told me her name. I remarked that it was a nice night and she agreed. She offered me a seat next to her, but I politely protested, saying that I had a task to complete. We bade each other farewell, and I went on my own way." He paused again, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "We kept running into each other after that, but in reality, we finally noticed one another. We lived in a small town, one that her father virtually owned.

"One night, she appeared at my window, her face bruised, blood streaked on her cheeks." Kimiko gasped, completely absorbed within his tale. "I asked her what had happened, but she lied and said that she'd fallen off her horse. I did not believe her, but I kept my opinion to myself. I went with her to a lake that night, and held her until it was nearly dawn."

A tear broke free, spilling onto his cheek. He shut his eyes. "We spent more time together after that, in secret. It was harmless, innocent companionship, and yet love started to bloom. I spent my days in agony, needing her every moment, waiting until I could see her again, and I spent my nights holding her, kissing her, staring into her eyes.

"And like a fairy tale gone bad, it ended one night."

"What do you mean?" Kimiko asked, empathizing with him. "Did she break it off?"

"No," he replied solemnly. "One night, she appeared at my window again. I hardly recognized her out of her silk dresses. She wore a traveler's clothes and had a big pack on her back. Her only words were, 'Come with me.' And so I jumped out my window, having prepared for our tryst. She begged me to run away with her, to put as much distance between our home as we could. I never thought about such a thing before—it just simply never occurred to me." He stopped, his eyes still shut as a few tears streaked down his face.

"You went with her right?"

Kiyoshi opened his red, watery eyes and looked into hers, deadly serious. "No." The word carried like varnish, peeling away her eardrums. "I didn't."

"What do you mean, 'I didn't'?" She clenched her first, staring at him in shock. "You had the love of your life in front of you, willing to travel with you to the ends of the earth if need be, and you said 'no'?" She could hardly control herself as she glowered at him.

"I mean just that. I did not go with her." His eyes stared back, challenging, the darkness returned to him. "I told her that I had to think about it—that there were things I had to do. I couldn't just leave my father like that...since my mother passed on, only he and I remained at the house. Did I have the right to indulge myself like that, at my father's expense?"

"Yes!" Kimiko shouted, screaming in his face. "You had every right to do that!" She sat, regaining her composure, pulling the covers up to cover her up to the neck. "You didn't have a right to turn her down though."

Kiyoshi nodded, glancing at his feet. "You're right of course." He looked back up at her, finishing his tale. "She said she understood, dropped her staff and the handkerchief which I keep in my pocket to this day. She married a stranger that next day. Her father had arranged a marriage for her, and until she met me, she had resigned herself to never love anyone."

He fell silent after that, fingering the scarf in his pocket. Kimiko could not respond, yet she felt the need to offer some sort of comfort, especially after her earlier criticism. She brushed the scarlet bangs from her eyes, and he looked at her, nodding.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, and she looked into his steel gray eyes. They were flushed with tears. Yet he did not shy his face from her in embarrassment as she would have.

"Don't be," he replied calmly as a tear streaked down his right cheek. "It's long past, but wounds to the heart never completely heal. I may not know what you're going through, but I know how it feels to love someone and then lose them." He lowered his head and the tear fell from his face, absorbed by the bed. "I never saw her again after that. I didn't have the courage to face her for my crimes, and it ate away at me until I became the sociopath you knew me to be before." Raising his head, he smiled. "Don't let the pain eat you from the inside out. I became an uncaring monster, and that slowly turned to perversion—I did not care how others felt about it." He paused for a moment.

"I won't," Kimiko lied, as she could already feel the gnawing pain within her, love forever lost, burning away virtue, sparing only vice. Her thoughts returned to her own situation, agony from its poisoned blade seeping into her, coursing through her veins. Still reeling from the news of Akane's new life, she regarded her own. With but a few friends, she had dared to hope to overcome the emptiness.

"Don't even think that life is over just because your fiancée married someone else," Kiyoshi told her as if reading her thoughts. "I know you, Ranma Saotome, and I know you to be a fighter, to the death if required of you." Her name burned in her mind as he continued, "If I were to tell you that the world was going to end tomorrow, and nothing you can do would stop it, would you even try?"

Kimiko considered his question for a moment, and then answered. "Of course. You know how many times I've heard that?" The scowl she did not even know was there dissipated from her face and a lopsided grin took its place.

"Well, now fate is telling you that you will never love another again, and that your life is over. Are you just going to roll over and die?"

"No!" she replied, throwing away the covers in outrage. "Of course I'm not giving up! Not when..." She paused, realizing what she had been about to say. Not when her revenge lay unfulfilled.

"Not when what, Kimiko?" he whispered harshly. "Not when you still have a score to settle with a man who has eighteen years on you? Not when you have to train to be able to defeat him? Now when what? Or not when you still have a life to live, love to find, and friends to be with?"

"I don't know, Kiyoshi," she whispered, gathering the sheets around her again. "I just don't know. I never once imagined my life without Akane. I was so confident that a miracle would pull me through this, and we'd live happily ever after like it's supposed to be." Shaking her head, she continued. "How many times do I have to tell myself it's over? How long must I delude myself like Kunou did? I bet he still wonders where the evil sorcerer Saotome has taken his pigtailed girl, but even he's not crazy enough to think that anything's going to happen after eighteen years!"

"Not unless Gosunguki's heir hits you with a working love spell, and the first person you see is Kunou," Kiyoshi pointed out with a grin.

Staring at him for a moment, she tried to comprehend his words with her anger-clouded mind. Then, she suddenly burst out into laughter, clutching her sides.

"Oh God, that wasn't funny," she hoarsely whispered between gasps for air. "That's why you're a stuffy business man, and not a comedian."

"Hey," Kiyoshi protested. "At least it broke your 'poor me' speech."

"I was not feeling sorry for myself!" Kimiko snapped, frowning. "I was simply saying...oh, you're right." She wiped her eyes with her arm and shrugged. "So what should I do now, all-knowing, super-intelligent leader?"

With an ominous smile, Kiyoshi slid off the back of her bed, still facing her. As he drew backwards, opening the door, he turned. "Go to sleep."

"Ahh!" she cried, throwing a pillow at the door as he shut it behind him. Sitting upright still, Kimiko felt neither the desire nor the need to sleep more. She felt strangely energetic for minimal sleep and an exhausting previous day. Looking at the digital clock by her bedside, she read, "3:54."

Shaking her head, she wondered aloud, "After all of that, he expects me to sleep?"

* * *

The neon lights of Tokyo lit the predawn morning, leaving no room for the natural darkness. Something about the city always left him feeling nauseous. Whether the putrid, carbon monoxide-polluted air, the perpetual motion of vehicles through its streets, or the thumping, sickly, out-of-tune music burning his ears, the city always found a new way to disgust him, every time he found his way back. If it had been a choice of his, he never would return, but fate always led him here.

Although not nearly as bad as the day, Tokyo nights were still more busy than most urban centers of the world. Passing more than a few love hotels, the man repressed a shudder just at the thought of the filth which must pass through their doors every day and night.

Could he have found any worse place to be this night? Simply being in Japan reminded him of his family, and that was never a good thing. It was far better to be lost where he did not even know the language, where his concerns only consisted of finding his next meal, or finding shelter to avoid the rain. Here in Tokyo, he had a place, and somehow he always found it.

The streets were devoid of people, except for the occasional neon-armored enforcer. Those were just another reason to avoid this Godforsaken city. They would always demand to see his papers, and even after double-checking them with their magic little portable computer scanners, they would still call into their headquarters for a third check. Even then, they would most likely follow him until they satisfied their tiny little minds that he planned no misdeeds.

An enforcer was approaching him now, the bright red baton lit with stunning electricity, helmet and face shield glowing with enough light to bestow the officer with night vision and a portable computer screen. When his eldest son was no higher than his knee, the child had declared to the world that he would be the "bestest" law enforcer ever. He still thanked the heavens that his son had changed his mind, because it seemed to him that the equipment killed brain cells. Not one of these jokers ever took his word, or even his papers, at face value.

The neon red enforcer held out his baton when the distance between them was only about ten feet. A light, very feminine voice called out to him through the amplification of her shoulder speaker. "What are you doing out here this early?"

"Minding my own business," he replied coldly, provoking her for lack of anything better to do. Maybe this one would try to push her magic wand at him. That would be very much fun, especially when he saw the look on her face when she realized the weight he carried in society.

"Show me your identification papers," she stated neutrally, much to his disappointment. There would be no fight with her this morning.

From an easy-to-reach spot in his jacket pocket, he retrieved the small card and the curfew breach authorization papers, and then handed them to her. Although he did not need to show the papers, since the card contained the information when it was scanned, he carried it anyway, more to show that he had not stolen the identification card than anything else.

The enforcer did not even consider the paper; rather, she simply scanned the card with the bracelet on her wrist. They waited a moment, and then the activity on her red-tinted face shield showed that it was checked with her computer.

"Thank you, sir," she replied cordially, handing him his papers. "Sorry for the inconvenience. Have a nice morning."

With a brash nod, the man walked past the officer, continuing his aimless journey. A huge digital clock on a large tower on his left read 4:37. The city streets were so bright that it could have been noon for all he would have been able to tell, except for the lack of the sun. No clouds shrouded the night sky; but instead there was the glare of a hundred million burning streetlights and buildings, all reflected on the haze of smog. The moon tonight was barely bright enough to be noticeable in the sky.

It would be dawn within an hour or two. Hopefully, he would be out of the city by then, but he doubted it. Something always had to happen before he could leave again. That probably meant going home. If that would be his fate, so be it. He would face his wife and his children, no matter how better off they were without him.

* * *

5:12.

Kimiko waited while every second passed by, silently lying in the darkness. Even with the comforter and sheets thrown to the foot of the bed, the enclosed warmth of the room was still quite uncomfortable. Thoroughly plastered to her chest with sweat, the huge shirt she wore made it all the harder to fall asleep. Considering the day before and her lack of rest, she would have thought herself to be sleeping soundly by now. Twisting restlessly, she turned on her side.

It was safe to assume she would not be falling asleep any time soon, so she sat up in her bed, swinging her feet over the edge. She thought about what to do, since there were still several hours until dawn. According to Kiyoshi, Tokyo now had a strict curfew, which could not be broken without legal permission. Although it was still dark, she doubted that it would still be in effect.

"Lights," she whispered, warding the darkness with the voice-activated globe in the center of the bedroom.

Before meeting Kiyoshi, she would never have even conceived of such luxurious accommodations. To say that she enjoyed it was completely off base. For her, someone who was used to the bare minimum in the ways of comfort, the hotel symbolized what she was not and had never had. Having one's own personal bathroom attached to a room, which was bigger than most living rooms, took a little getting adjusting to. As she stood, she was tempted to walk into the hall to find the bathroom, but swiftly redirected herself.

Finding the sink, she put her hands underneath the faucet, activating the cold water. It was so chilled that it stung her skin, as if the pipes were frozen, spitting out fine chunks of ice rather than water. Soap automatically mixed with the water as it grew warm, something which took an even greater amount of getting used to than having her own bathroom; after which, the plain water then coursed out, rinsing her hands clean. As she removed her them from the sink, the water ceased. The wonders of technology seemed to be designed for the lazy.

Stripping to her panties, Kimiko walked to the shower and turned it on. Hot water immediately flowed from the head, steaming as it met with the cool air in the bathroom.

"Cold," she stated.

As she tested it with her hand, the stream of water almost instantly changed in temperature, from tolerably hot to icy cold, just the way she liked it. Shedding the final garment, she plunged herself face first into the near freezing water. After the uncomfortable, sweaty lack of sleep, this was like a breath of fresh air.

Minutes after cleaning properly, Kimiko was dressed in sweats and sneakers ready to take a real breath of fresh air, although Tokyo was hardly the place for it. It felt odd being up so early, especially considering the time she would usually wake. After a brief elevator ride, she walked into the lobby and up to the front desk.

"Madam?" the concierge asked after sipping from a cup of steaming hot coffee.

"If my brother, Kiyoshi Nishiyama, asks where I went," she began, beginning some leg stretches, "tell him I went for a jog."

"Of course, Nishiyama-san," the man replied with a nod. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, and thanks," she concluded, leaving the hotel.

Expecting the darkness of the early morning, Kimiko had forgotten that she was in Tokyo, the most annoyingly bright city in the world. The night felt like day. Heavy clouds covered the sky, illuminated dark purple by the city's lights, masking the moon and the stars, though the latter would have been washed out regardless. The streets were practically devoid of pedestrians, though cars streaked by in an endless chain of shiny metal.

The air was thick with carbon monoxide pollution, but she could ignore the sour odor for a while. When she had asked the front desk about places to run when she had first arrived, the attendant had mentioned a park that was not too far from the hotel, and from his description, she was under the impression that it had cleaner air than the rest of the city and was a pleasant place to exercise. She would have preferred a nice spar with one of the twins—both, if she had not still been sore from yesterday—but a nice run would help with her sore muscles. In fact, Kimiko thought that she even remembered the park.

As she began her jog at a brisk pace across the paved concrete sidewalks, Kimiko read the different neon signs. She was glad to be back in Japan, where she did not have to think about all of the letters before understanding them. Japanese and English mixed about as well as oil and water, but she was beginning to decipher them on paper with similar proficiency. Unfortunately, though, so much had changed in the Japanese language that the Kanji on some of the signs were unfamiliar, sending her right back to feeling like an outsider.

But she was an outsider, technically. According to her visa, she was a citizen of the United States, not Japan. Just speaking the language had not been enough to alleviate the prejudice, and make one an accepted resident of Japan. As of yet, she had not experienced any problems in this regard. Had the city, the people, changed that much?

The difficulty, or lack thereof, seemed inconsequential compared to the reality shaping around her. Just as the streets widened and the skyscrapers became sparse, she wondered if her horizons, her future, had yet been determined. Never a firm believer in any religion, Kimiko had long ago decided to make herself the best person she could in order to avoid the issue of devoting oneself to a particular religion in order save one's soul.

That did not mean she had not looked into a few of the more popular ones. Many were recipes for predestination: the idea that the fate of humans was determined by some divine being or beings; the others called for the free will of humans, undetermined by the divine. The whole idea of it made her want to stop thinking about things that she would never be able to discover while still breathing, though at times she could not help wondering.

Was it fate, some divine presence, that had brought things together as they'd turned out—her separation from the ones she had loved and the subsequent reunion—or was it just a random act set forth by the major players in her life? She could not help but wonder why everything had had to end as it had, forever tearing her from Akane and forever sealing away that part of herself she so desired back.

Stopping at a four-way intersection, Kimiko stood, waiting for the light to change. She looked around, and seeing no one around, she jogged across the street. Not breathing heavily yet, she picked up the pace as she ran across the squared concrete of Tokyo city. Around the corner, the park awaited her.

"Give me your hand, Ranma," Akane had said to her so many years ago at the same spot that Kimiko now intended to visit. The memory seemed locked within folds of metal, each having been slowly unwrapped with every moment she'd spent in Japan and around the Tendous.

"Why?" Ranma had demanded, effectually driving his foot down his mouth.

"Fine, then!" Akane had replied, spinning around and charging into the park. "You can walk by yourself, baka."

"Wait up, Akane! I didn't mean it!"

Realizing that she had stopped, Kimiko cleared her throat and headed in the park's direction. The gates to the only green in a city of metal and concrete stood a block and a half from her, and she began sprinting, as if they would close, forever locking her out.

"Why should I?" Akane's voice had cried out as she rushed through the gates. An almost childlike giggle was what had followed Akane's feigned anger. "I'm going to beat you there, Ranma!"

"No way!" Ranma had yelled, running after her as fast as he could.

Chasing the phantoms of her past, Kimiko gritted her teeth as she ran towards the gates. Even now she could see herself chasing Akane through them. Heedless of her path, she charged down the sidewalk, concentrating on nothing but catching the two, a fleeting memory of a past that was rightfully hers. As they disappeared from her sight, she slammed into the metal bars of the closed gate with her arms extended.

"Wait for me!" Kimiko cried out, shaking the bars with all of her strength. "Don't leave me..."

Footsteps echoed softly, slowly growing louder with the approach of a stranger. She looked up as fresh tears blurred her vision, having yet to slide down her cheeks. An elderly man wearing dreary gray clothes and a wide brown hat stopped in front of her on the other side of the closed gates. He smiled warmly.

"Please, don't cry, miss," he whispered, retrieving a key chain from his pants pocket. With his other hand, he took a handkerchief from the pocket of his gray shirt. Pushing it through the bars of the gate, he handed it to her. "There, wipe those pretty eyes dry."

"Thank you, sir," she replied, drying around her eyes. She handed it back when she finished. "Could you please open the gate?"

"Of course," he agreed, smiling warmly. He selected a key from the mass of metal dangling from the keyring in his hand. Methodically pushing it into the lock, he then twisted it. With a creak, the gate lurched back slightly. "What is your name, young lady?"

Smiling despite herself, Kimiko helped him open the gates. "I'm Kimiko Nishiyama." After bowing to the man, she pushed the gates open until they locked into place.

"I am Hitoshi Yoshida, the caretaker of this garden." Resting up against the gate, he paused. "What brings you here so early, Nishiyama-san?"

Two light posts stood on either side of them, shining down so brightly that the old man was forced to squint, causing his bushy white brows to envelop his eyes. The man had two shadows, both barely visible, like the gray of his clothes up against the white of the sidewalk. They stood pointing away from each other, which if looked at in a certain way, appeared to be shaped as a Y, with Yoshida-san as the base of the letter and the two shadows as the V standing atop of him.

"I was just jogging," Kimiko told him, staring down at her shoes. "I didn't know that the garden closed at all. I'm sorry if I'm early."

"Oh, don't worry," Hitoshi replied, waving her in. "I'm just sorry that I have to close the garden at all. Those with nowhere else to go used to stay here at night, but the authorities did not like that, so they ordered us to close the garden after sundown until dawn." Wiping his forehead with his hand, he shook his head. "It's really a shame. Even the unfortunate should be able to enjoy the flowers, even if they only mean to sleep among them."

The two walked down the gravel path through a thick grove of trees. The park was almost surreal in the midst of such a large city, containing that which had ceased to exist everywhere else. Breathing in deeply, Kimiko enjoyed how sweet the air seemed, almost untouched by the polluters of the city. A light fog crept over their heads as they walked the path, but Kimiko barely noticed in her enjoyment.

"I didn't know they grew flowers here," she remarked, watching each step she took, as her foot rose and fell, kicking up just a bit of dirt with every one.

"When was the last time you visited the garden?" Hitoshi asked as he walked beside her.

"It's been a long time," she admitted, not willing to tell him just how many years it really had been. "I was little at the time, I guess."

"Oh," he replied, stopping as they reached a fork intersection. "Why don't we head towards lake?"

"Okay," she agreed, following his lead.

The sound of a bubbling brook trickling through the thick grove of trees echoed in the distance off to her right as they took the left path. Neatly divided in half by the path, the trees were an obvious addition, because the last time Kimiko had been here, there were only a few. A field of green grass in all directions, with only the buildings in the horizon was the sight that would have been seen here twenty years ago.

"You'll never catch me, Ranma!" Akane had shouted back as she sprinted across the field. Her yellow dress rippled in the wind like a flag flown in the sky above. As Akane held onto her hat, her image raced past Kimiko, shortly followed by the image of her former self. He wore his usual outfit of black pants and a red Chinese shirt. Kimiko looked at the gardener to see if he had seen the specters, but the old man did not appear to notice them.

"I used to own a flower shop," Hitoshi told her, keeping his pace beside her. "Flowers are good for the spirit. Their essence is both physically and spiritually rejuvenating. I owe my health to them." He paused, rubbing his chilled arms. "When my shop closed, I was offered a position here to tend the new flower garden they had planted. That was shortly after they imported these wonderful trees."

Though she had not forgotten about her jog, she was enjoying listening to the gardener talk about the park. He imparted many details about the beautiful place as they walked down the path leading towards the lake in the garden's center.

He stopped as they reached the enchanting lake, surrounded by benches like an encirclement of rocks around the comfortable warmth of a campfire. The lampposts filling the park shone brightly, reflecting _**of**_ the serene water. With summer's late dawn, artificial light would spew here for hours yet, dispelling the natural feel of the garden.

"Please enjoy yourself here, Nishiyama-san. If you need anything, I'll be in the garden just west of here."

"Thank you, Yoshida-san," Kimiko said. "I'm sure I will."

With that said, the two parted, the gardener to his flowers and Kimiko to jog alongside the memories of her past.

The dirt trail softly crunched beneath her feet with every step she took. Her surroundings blurred as she practically threw herself down the path around the lake. Her lungs burned with each breath of cold air she inhaled through her nose.

Controlling one's breathing was the key to longevity of one's stamina. That she had learned as a small child, her father the teacher, the endless road the obstacle.

Following directly behind Kimiko, a black shadow ran just as quickly as she did, mimicking her steps perfectly. It grew darker as it caught up to her, running beside her. She glanced at it casually, watching it pass her with just as much ease. Lighter and lighter it became as it drifted from her. Just as the first had, a second shadow slowly materialized behind her, running swiftly on her heels. As the second gained definition, the first lost its, slowly vanishing on the dirt trail.

Turning to look at the second shadow, Kimiko accelerated her pace, tearing down the path with abandon. Fated to be caught, she looked down, watching it quickly catch up to her, to run beside her as the first had moments before. Sliding to a halt on her heels, Kimiko stared down at the shadow, which had only a slight lead on her, but it had stopped as well. She turned, barely making out the form of a third shadow waiting to take shape and join the race.

The first shadow had passed her, left her behind and then vanished; it was the past. The second now stood beside her, strong and healthy; it was the present. The third shadow was only an image in the distance, unclear and its shape undetermined; it was the future.

What shape would the third take? Would it be more similar to the first, or the second? Time, it seemed to her, was the enemy, a timer with no pause button, a race with no break or end. There were no breathers for her this time. She could only pray that she would be able to keep up.

But was time really the enemy? She wondered. It could just have been an illusion to keep her from making the right choice.

Lily had warned her of three challenges; what were they? Kiyoshi had told her that something dangerously wrong was approaching. Could that have been what the spirit had warned her about?

As she ran, Kimiko thought of Kiyoshi for a moment, remembering their talks and all the advice her had given her. It warmed her thinking about him, because somehow he had become a part of her life, so entrenched that she could not face her past without him. As much as it wounded her pride to need someone, Kimiko found it easy to swallow when it concerned Kiyoshi. It had only recently occurred to her that it was love that allowed her to do that.

Love was such an ambiguous term to her, especially now that she could feel it without the fear of abandonment. Coming to terms with something like that was difficult, but somewhere along the line, it had ceased to be an issue. 'If' was replaced with 'when', and hesitation with assurance. Fear of being close to Kiyoshi dissipated completely. How could she even think of it when he had opened himself up so fully to her?

Only one real concern remained in her, but it was so deep that she had very little knowledge of it: becoming too close. There were so many factors involved in their relationship. From Kiyoshi's former identity, to her insecurity with her natural, if unaccepted sexual preference, to any number of other things, she knew it would be impossible. Perhaps that was why Kimiko had allowed herself to become very close to Kiyoshi; a closer relationship was a virtual impossibility. She could hug, kiss or sleep next to him without any fear of his intentions.

That casual love relieved immense amounts of stress that had built up on her shoulders. She had never known how good it could feel to be completely accepted by someone, without fear of rejection. Her relationship with Akane had been the opposite, built up on mutual distrust that had only bloomed a few months before Ranma's sudden departure. She could never have told Akane everything as she could with Kiyoshi. One wrong word would have left her pounded to the floor like one Akane's straw dummies.

Laughter echoed from behind Kimiko, causing her to slow, and then stop. She turned around, watching Akane quickly run past her. The teenage Akane stopped only a few feet from where Kimiko stood, panting. Ranma almost barreled into her as he came charging down the way, but managed to halt mere inches from her.

"Told you I'd win, Ranma." The words spoken by Akane carried well and were honey to Kimiko's ears.

"You just got lucky, that's all," Ranma muttered, kicking at the dirt with his foot. He looked up and smiled.

Of course, Kimiko knew that she had let Akane win that day. Seeing the pride on Akane's face had been worth throwing the race.

Slowing her breathing, Akane shook her head. "It wasn't luck, and to prove it, I'll race you to the lake!" She quickly turned and bolted straight through the trees, where an empty field should have been.

"Cheater!" Ranma yelled at her as he ran to catch up.

Kimiko only frowned as she, too, sprinted to follow. Exactly as she had remembered it, Kimiko watched Ranma sweep Akane off her feet and carry her all the way down to the lakeside. Their laughter filled the silence of the early morning park as Kimiko caught up to the couple.

Walking with Akane still held close in his arms, Ranma smiled. Kimiko dashed up to him, putting her hands on his shoulders. Though he did not notice or turn back, Kimiko felt him. She quickly released him in shock, staring as he walked up to the lake and set Akane down. Shaking off her surprise, the redhead leapt to sit beside them, hoping they would not disappear.

"Can you hear me?" Kimiko asked as the two sat by the lakeside. "Please, Ranma, Akane, can you hear me?" Neither responded.

With great curiosity, Kimiko slid to lie next to Akane as the two lay there on their backs, staring up at the sky. Three lay there, but only one saw nothing but darkness and a hazy purple sky. Although a mixture of orange and gray poked out in the east, it would probably take the sun hours to burn away the clouds enough to be spotted. Kimiko only sighed.

"What is going on?" Her words sounded strange, spoken against the silence of everything else. "Why does this stuff have to torture me like this?"

Akane stirred, brushing up against Kimiko's arm.

"Huh?" the dark-haired girl whispered.

"What is it?" Ranma asked, sitting up.

Kimiko looked at Akane with wide eyes as the girl looked straight through her.

"I could have sworn I felt something touch my arm," Akane told him. "Never mind it. Must've been my imagination."

"I was scared it was Shampoo, or Ukyou, or someone," Ranma whispered, laying his head back. "Or worse, Happosai."

Akane still stared through Kimiko. The redhead had yet to take her eyes away from the Akane. Wondering if it would work again, Kimiko drew her finger across Akane's left shoulder slowly. Her heart beat faster than drums in a heavy metal band.

"There it is again!" Akane cried, looking around. "It touched my shoulder this time!"

Ranma sat up quickly and leaned over Akane, swiping his arms at the air, barely missing a dodging Kimiko.

"Nothing," Ranma told her. Still leaning over her, he looked down with a grin.

"What are you smiling at?" Akane asked, looking up at him with shiny eyes.

"Nothing," Ranma sighed, lying back again.

That was the moment Kimiko realized this had not happened to her and Akane when they had been lying by the lake that day. Their moment had ended about ten minutes later when clicks from a camera from behind them soiled the moment, but she did not remember that exchange.

Perhaps Kimiko was changing her past?

More daring this time, the redhead stood and walked around to Ranma. His eyes were closed as the warm sun, which Kimiko could not see or feel, shone down upon him. Akane looked similar, though she occasionally glanced over her left shoulder. Sitting close enough to kiss her former self, Kimiko stared at Ranma's carefree face. Swinging one leg over to Ranma's left, and leaving the other on his right, she held herself, hovering over him with her hands that pressed against the cold grass beside his head. The sticky wetness of dew wedged itself between her fingers as she stared down at him. How would he react to feeling someone on top of him, assuming he felt it at all?

_What am I doing?_ Kimiko thought, teeth chattering above her former persona.

In that very second, Ranma opened his eyes, quickly focusing them on Kimiko who could do nothing but stare. It took no more than a second, but as Ranma sat up, Kimiko felt herself being seized by strong arms.

"Who...?" Ranma's question suddenly cut off as his back arched with a spasm.

There was a moment when even the artificial light from the lamps above her disappeared, leaving her in total darkness. The very next moment, she lay staring up at the bright blue sky. Sitting up slowly, Kimiko looked in amazement over the clear blue lake and the vast fields of green of her memory.

"Ranma, are you okay?" Akane looked at Kimiko with concern, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Looking down at herself, Kimiko saw a set of clothes so lost to her; she had thought the comfortable feel of them would never be hers again. The red shirt and black pants of her past covered her body loosely like they always had. Wrapping her arms around herself, Kimiko felt her body. A flat, muscular chest first met her hands, and she nearly coughed in surprise.

Taking Kimiko's shoulder with her other hand, Akane pulled her so they faced each other.

"What the heck is wrong with you, Ranma?" Mild irritation bubbled in Akane's voice.

"I...I...I..." Kimiko's voice was lost to her as she fought to take control of the emotions bursting within her.

"What is it, Ranma? Tell me!" Concern colored her eyes as Akane stared in Kimiko's eyes.

Pausing, Kimiko found her center, her balance, and her calm. Energy welled up within her as she placed her hands over Akane's. Three words that she had not spoken for such a long time, more heartfelt than she had ever spoken them resounded from her mouth.

"I love you," she whispered to Akane.

It was a sucker punch to the dark-haired girl that she had not seen coming. A month earlier than the original date they had been spoken, the words echoed in Kimiko's mind over and over. God, how she'd waited to say that again. Giving Akane a moment to collect her wits, Kimiko only reached up, brushing her hand against Akane's face.

"Ranma?" Akane's whisper was hoarse, her eyes and mouth wide, face pale.

"Yes, Akane?"

Breaking their eye contact, Akane dropped her arms to her sides and shied her face from Kimiko.

"There's something I have to tell you." A hundred thousand responsibilities seemed to weigh down on Akane's shoulders she spoke. A tear spilled onto her cheek before she continued.

"I'm listening," Kimiko told her true love, burning with passion for the girl in front of her.

"I'm so sorry," Akane said, crawling away quickly, but stumbling as she attempted to stand up. "God, I'm so sorry."

"Wait, Akane! Don't leave!" Kimiko stood, catching Akane in a hug before she could get away. "What are you sorry for?"

Akane could not look up, her eyes turned towards the lake. Her voice was lifeless and barely sounded recognizable. Her words were something else entirely:

"It's too late...I'm already married to Ryouga..."

In one breath, Akane did what no one had ever done before. She totally annihilated every ounce of fight within Kimiko's soul. Even as Kimiko, in Ranma's body, fell to the grass in agony, Akane took off across the ocean of green. The wet dew met her entire body this time, triggering the change.

"It's not supposed to be like this," she sobbed, unable to hold back the flooding emotion. It felt as if her entire soul was tainted by the distorted reality she existed within, but when she finally lifted her face from the grass, she took a deep breath. The warmth of the sun had faded away, leaving her in the wet, early morning dew, wearing her sweats and stuck in the present once more.

Her teeth chattered as she pulled herself to her feet. With tears sliding down her cheeks, she breathed in rapidly, unable to shrug off the after effect of adrenalin, leaving her shaking in her running shoes.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Kimiko demanded, palming her forehead as if to massage a headache.

Relaxing her body and slowing her breathing, she regained her bearings. Standing right where she had imagined herself to be in the past, Kimiko scanned the garden. Trees blocked the way she had come, but the lake lay spread out before her, with the path around it. A bench, no more than fifty feet along one side of the lake, beckoned her. A light post stood next to it on the path, as if a spotlight for whoever would sit on the bench.

Kimiko trudged over to the wooden bench and plopped herself down on the right side of it, causing the flimsy boards to creak in protest. Flopping her right elbow down on the rusted iron armrest, she propped her head on her hand. Exhaling sharply, she closed her eyes against the burning brightness of the light.

"Tell me, Lily," Kimiko began nonchalantly. "What in God's name is going on with me? I can't walk two steps without hallucinating, and it's just getting worse!"

Silence answered her question.

"Come on!" she growled, wiping her face with the sleeve of her left arm. "I'm not talking to myself, you know. I know you're out there, doing whatever it is you spirits do. Show yourself!"

As if she were King Arthur beckoning forth the Lady of the Lake, to claim the magical Excalibur from the depths of its watery sheath, out Lily appeared from the water, glowing with a faint white aura. Kimiko tried to keep her face neutral, as the specter appeared, slowly walking towards her. She could only wonder if Lily had to appear like that, or if it was just for effect. Either way, it intimidated Kimiko very much.

The ghost drew forward, skimming the surface of the water, and then the ground, as if they were frozen over and she was a block of ice sliding across. Sitting up straight, Kimiko froze with her eyes wide. As Lily came close enough to see her form, Kimiko realized that she could barely make out her features, as if she were displayed white on white, with only the fuzzy picture of an out-of-focus snapshot.

When the specter hovered at the edge of the water, she stopped, as if blocked by an invisible shield. With a slow come-hither wave, the spirit beckoned Kimiko.

Suddenly fearful of her choice to summon the spirit, she stood and walked towards her.

"A dark soul comes this way," a voice hissed, seemingly from all directions, although the ghost had spoken the words. "You must—" Her words were cut off, as if she were on television and someone had muted the volume of her speech.

"What, Lily?" she asked, stopping right in front of the ghost. "I can't hear you. Speak up."

The ghost's eyes opened wide and she covered her mouth with her hands in surprise, and then as suddenly as she had appeared, she vanished without a trace. Kimiko reeled at the development. Was the spirit unable to communicate now? She had been so easy to talk with before.

"Lily? Are you still here?" Kimiko scanned in all directions, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. "Okay, I'll look out for this dark soul, but what must I do?" _So much for spiritual advice,_ she thought wryly.

Walking towards the bench, Kimiko shrugged.

* * *

Under the shadow of dead angels, he walked. Like a meteorite crashing down from the heavens, unable to stop its descent to shatter the earth beneath it, he traveled Fate's concrete path, without one thought to change it. He did not care in which direction he headed, preferring each destination to be a surprise. Whereas life could get you down, the road never told lies. For a black-hearted man such as he, truthful answers to questions were not ones he would usually give, and the lack of those were bliss for him.

"Why do you always have to travel, daddy?" The words of his children echoed in his mind. "I miss you, daddy!" "Please don't be gone long!" "Daddy, you're back!" "Daddy, I love you!"

How could he reply to that, to those innocent faces, as of yet untainted by the evil within him? Maybe running away made him a coward, but staying would only have endangered those around him.

Why was he fleeing to the road's cold embrace over his wife's warm one? That was a question he could not answer with certainty any longer. Five years ago he might have been able, but today nothing was the same. Only lingering guilt remained, for something that was more of a dream than a reality, paranoia perhaps. Feelings faded, memories blurred and pain vanished during his travels. Except for a few random and very brief appearances at his home in the past week, merely visits to his children, he really had no contact with his life left behind for the last few years. It hurt him to do that to them, the ones who counted most in his life, but something told him that he had to.

Somewhere beneath the flesh of his brain, deep within his subconscious, a dark memory afflicted his life with such pain that he might never recover his family and more importantly, his wife. Somewhere on the edge between of reality and fantasy, something fogged his perception with its teeth sunken into his lifeblood, draining away everything. Light and darkness mixed, creating endless shades of gray, never fully defining one or the other again. It eased the pain, but dimmed the pleasure he once had for life, a time that seemed so long ago.

Traveling left much time for thought, but he had yet to think of one thing since his brief encounter with the enforcer earlier that morning. What could he have thought about? How miserable he was? How much he missed his family? How much he wanted to stab himself in the gut? Dark thoughts led to dark actions, and dark actions led to more pain.

Stopping to look around for the first time in nearly an hour, he tried to regain his bearings, for what it was worth. Trees surrounded him, looming over him like judges at a sentencing. Somewhat sparse, the grove of thick green trees seemed out of place. Although the air smelled fresh and the grass was green, he knew that he had not escaped Tokyo completely.

"Worthless," he imagined them moaning in the wind. He turned his head, and continued walking. He had enough to deal with, without having to listen to a figment of his imagination.

The voices continued, as if the verdict were already in, and they were merely rubbing his nose in another dash of misery before telling it to him, twisting the dagger in his gut before finally finishing him off. "You cause pain to those around, and yet you run away! Run away to avoid more pain! Worthless coward!" For a figment of his imagination, they certainly sounded real, like someone whispering from inside the trees.

"Shut up," he fiercely whispered, sprinting through the grove, as if trying to outrun a train.

"You are a murderer and a thief! You hold nothing sacred except yourself! No one will mourn your death, you pathetic mongrel!"

"Shut up!" he defiantly cried back at them. "I'm doing what's best for my family! NOW GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

His last words still echoed as he realized he was alone, in a sea of grass, the sun shining bright and warm. He felt lighter, happier, suddenly rejuvenated, as if he had been given another chance at correcting the wrongs in his life. When the crystal shine of the lake caught his eye, he experienced an extreme sense of déjà vu. He spun, searching for the grove of trees he had been in, scanning everywhere, but saw nothing but the lake and endless green.

"Where am I?" he asked himself.

"You are in paradise," a sarcastic, deep voice replied. It sounded like the voice of the trees, but without the distant, hollow echo.

Of course, he saw no one as he turned only to face nothing. A growing sense of dread filled him as he stood, staring straight out at the lake, as if that were the origin of the voice speaking to him.

"Why am I here?" He waited without reply, calling out to the spirits again. "Where is this? Speak to me!" Anger began to seethe in him. Pure, genuine rage at those that would crucify him without stated cause, without reason. He burned from within, as if the negative emotions within him had been lit aflame, like a bonfire of wood surrounding an accused witch. His last question was not much more than a whisper, a faint hope that something would answer his plea. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" the voice mocked, echoing as if all around him. "Who you are, is a better question to ask. Who am I, he asks. Who am I...?" The words faded into an evil cackle, as if he had asked an absurd question. The laughter died shortly thereafter, leaving the rustle of the wind and the silence of an abyss.

"Please tell me why I'm here?" The man stared at the nothingness around him. "You owe me that much! Please?"

"Owe you?" the voice asked. "I suppose I do. You released me after all. You are here to feel anger again, to remember the pain, the love, and the hatred! You will remember everything and nothing! Are you ready? Are you ready for the misery of a thousand years of torture and imprisonment?"

"Fate willing," he replied, ready to meet the consequences of his actions, to taste blind justice at the end of an executioner's axe. He could do nothing but succumb to the will of the supernatural voice, for it held all the cards, and he was just a Jack in the beginning of a straight. If he had to learn the answer to his painful riddle, perhaps it would aid him in repairing the hurt in his soul.

"Fate does not exist," was the beginning of his reply. Each word spoken reeked of anger and perhaps a touch of remorse. "Choices forge the man. Each decision determines whether the soul is harvested, or tossed away. Fate is a cop out, reserved for those who would try to pin the consequences of themselves or others on some imaginary force. There is no almighty God, no divine savior. The men who perform the miracles are still men!

"Open your eyes to the reality around you, for everything is going to change for the worse if you allow it. Death stalks the Earth with its crimson blade, and your name is now on its list."

As the last word was spoken, the traveler, his guise pale, watched two figures cross the sea of grass, one chasing the other. Their path was straight, but it took what seemed to be hours for them to make it to the lakeside. He reeled in surprise as the earth beneath him rose, like the creation of a new mountain watched in fast-forward. Though his new vantage gave him a better view of the couple, the traveler took a few hesitant steps forward, unsure if it was wise to move.

"Go ahead," the voice insisted.

"Go on, daddy!" the voice of his daughter whispered, tickling his ear, its origin seemed so close. The two were shortly followed with a variety of voices, spoken by friends and family.

He still stood there, legs held fast to the ground.

"What are you waiting for?" the voice hissed. "FATE WILLS IT!"

His laboriously slow descent down the green hill granted him a few minutes of peace. The teenage couple had lain in the grass by the lake, serenely staring up at the sky. He wondered what he could possibly learn from them. He could not have been more than fifty feet away when the male sat up and leaned over his partner. The traveler assumed they would kiss, but instead, the child simply waved his hands around the female's shoulder, as if warding a malicious spirit.

"What are you smiling at?" The light female voice echoed from the two's position. The young man's reply did not carry the distance as he lay back down.

When the traveler came to within thirty feet, he had to squint his eyes to make out some hazy shape hovering a scant few inches above the young man. It glowed with a strange mix of red and white, blurring pink in parts, but still retained a vaguely human shape. It had suddenly just been over the young man's body, as if it previously was there, except he had not seen it until now. As he walked across the next five feet, the young man sat up, trying to grab hold of the specter above him. When the two met, a flash of light forced him to turn away and shelter his eyes with his hand.

The traveler quickly turned his head back to see the young man's back arch in a painful spasm, and then fall onto the grass again.

"Ranma, are you okay?" the female asked, putting a hand on her companion's shoulder.

Ranma. The name echoed in the man's mind for a brief moment, as if searching for the right crayon in the box. Ranma. It was a name of a person he had forgotten existed, or had chosen to forget. Either way, the lingering familiarity with the name bothered him. Ranma.

Taking the young man by the shoulders, the girl looked him in the eye. "What the heck is wrong with you, Ranma?"

Having the words spoken like that sparked a memory, or rather a feeling: anger going beyond what words can express. Also therein lay something else, something not quite so hateful as the other, but something worse, hundreds of times worse.

Reeling in the mixed emotions, the man strained to pay attention to what was being played out before him. The girl began to crawl away with tears streaming down her eyes, but the young man caught her in his arms gently. Words were exchanged, but they were spoken too soft for the traveler to hear.

Jumping to her feet, girl began to run towards him, not heeding her direction. The young man simply slumped onto his chest, right before vanishing into the ground as if he had never been. Not noticing the event, the girl merely ran forward, vainly wiping the tears from her eyes.

When ten feet were left between them, Ryouga recognized Akane.

* * *

Under a halo of radiant, artificial light, Kimiko sat on the hard wood bench. With no more intentions of finishing her jog, she kicked her feet up and planted them firmly on the dirt below. The cold air bit at her arms, it having already caused goosebumps to rise on her skin. Rubbing them briskly, she stood and took a deep breath, ready to jog back to the hotel.

The moment she stepped out of the ring of artificial lamplight, the dirt path beneath her feet shifted. The earth quaked violently as she was forced to crouch to keep from falling on her bottom. Followed swiftly by burning light all around her, she stared slack-jawed as the sun appeared over her at its zenith, as if it had been there the entire time. What can someone say to such an event...the grass shooting up around their feet, the very earth beneath them rising upwards and the all-too-sudden blast of sunlight?

It was a blow to Kimiko who had expected the hallucinations to be finished. Rising to her feet, she stooped over a valley of infinite green grass, endless but for the lake in its center. She simply was awestruck by the experience. The location of her dream of Akane and herself at the lake had suddenly grown to fantastic measures, truly straight out of some sci-fi movie, probably the only one she had not seen with Sally and her friends back in California.

Pleasant sunlight warmed her chilled flesh as she smiled at the welcome change of scenery, no matter how strange. Kimiko knelt down, running her fingers through the healthy, dry grass. Untying the laces to her sneakers, she looked down at the blue lake glistening in the sunlight like a sapphire. She kicked off her shoes and watched them tumble down the hill.

Squinting her eyes, she spied down the hill and noticed a figure down there for the first time. Though she could not make it out well, she knew it was a tall, darkly-dressed man with black hair. The large pack on his back gave him the appearance of a traveler. He stood down at the edge of the lake, staring into the waters.

With no other choice, she jogged down the hill, savoring the feeling of dry grass between her toes. She quickly passed her shoes and practically leapt to the bottom of the hill. The man did not see her, she noticed. His thick clothes strangely rippled in the warm wind, which could have hardly been considered much more than a breeze.

There could not have been any more than fifteen feet between them when she slowed to a walk so as not to alert him. He did not so much as stir at her approach. His thick black hair was short, obviously self-cut from its jagged, matted look. The thick, dark leather jacket he wore complete with matching pants made him look like someone right out of a comic.

He was much too tall for her short body and towered over her as she approached him. Though he appeared unaware of her, she somehow doubted it.

"Who are you?" His deep, tired voice was passive, totally unlike the image she had originally perceived of him from his appearance. He just looked like one of those playboy, self-asserting types.

Something about the man disturbed her.

The man spun on his heels, letting his pack slip from around him to the ground, all in one quick motion. His eyes flashed with rage, as he held one fist out, completing his stance just as quickly as he had spun. In describing his stance, she was completely at a loss. It was perfectly centered, leaving him totally defended without a chance of being struck. He had the balance and reflexes of a cat, and underneath the thick leather sleeves of his shirt, she could see his bulging muscles. If it had not been for the passivity he displayed, which totally undermined the threat he posed, she might have simply dropped into a guard, prepared to defend herself immediately.

"I'm—" she began, quickly stifling her own words at the strange pitch in which she spoke. Gone was the soft, high pitch it had retained for the past year, as it suddenly sounded very deep to her years. She almost put a hand over her own mouth, but refused to show her surprise, in case he was a threat.

"Ranma?" The man's face softened, his eyes grew wide and he almost completely dropped his defensive posture. He nearly shivered in surprise as he fell to his back leg.

Equally stunned by his reaction, she searched his face for recognition. The light fell upon his coarse face, but only barely. It was as if a veil of perpetual darkness remained over his face.

"Do I know you?" Again, her voice was strangely deep in pitch. With only one blink of surprise and a few skipped heartbeats, she realized the cause. No longer did he tower over her, and no longer were her body proportions the same. Without the black pants and Chinese shirt, she had regained her male form.

"It's me," the traveler told the confused young man before him. "It's Ryouga."

Real or dream, Kimiko had no answer for her former friend. Too many days had been spent trying to forget his existence for her to come to terms with meeting him now. The dark shadows under the man's eyes, and the weathered look of his skin were not nearly enough pain that she had wished upon him.

"Hello, Ryouga," Ranma said. He truly was Ranma now, if only for a few brief minutes before the dream ended.

"But you're..." The darkness returned to Ryouga's eyes, but still he retained his passivity.

Words flowed from Ranma's mouth then. Karma, retribution, was granted to him, even if it was merely a hallucination. Never before had he actually seen Ryouga in any of his dreams before, only other figures such as Akane, his parents, even Kunou once or twice.

"I'm what? I'm dead? Is that what you were going to say?" His demands affected Ryouga deeply, forcing him to fall back a step to the very edge between the narrow shoreline of dirt and rocks and the green grass.

"I'm sorry!" Ryouga screamed, kneeling to the ground in anguish. "I didn't mean for it to happen like that! I swear!"

All feeling except for adrenalin left Ranma's body. He looked down at the man with contempt, and only took one step forward, but that was enough to send Ryouga squirming in the dirt right next to the water.

"Please, I didn't want it to be like that! I didn't want to hurt you!" Actual tears flowed down the Lost One's eyes. He looked up with one pitiful glance, but quickly shied his eyes from Ranma.

"You didn't want to HURT me?" Ranma yelled back. "You knocked me off a cliff, Ryouga! What in God's name did you expect to happen?"

"Not...that..." the man whispered, trying desperately to hold onto the remains of his dignity. "Anyone but you, Ranma..."

Growling like a tiger, Ranma lunged forward and punted Ryouga into the lake. Anger drowned all logic as Ranma leapt in after. Even as he waded into the water, he strangely remained male, but took no notice.

"Do you know what I've been through, because of you?!" He screamed as he took a hold of Ryouga's collar and lifted him, several feet above his head. "Do you know how long I've waited to see you again?"

With empty eyes, Ryouga remained silent.

"Speak up, Ryouga! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Throwing him over his shoulder, he turned to chase the projectile. Ryouga rolled in the air and gracefully landed on his feet. Less than a second later, Ranma pummeled into him with his fists, next blasting him with a slashing kick across the man's face. Spinning like an out-of-control dreidel, Ryouga fell to the ground.

"Get up!" Ranma yelled. "Fight me like the man you used to be!"

"SHUT UP!" Ryouga cried back as he bounced to his feet so fast, that Ranma failed to catch the motion. "I tried to help you, God damn it! You don't think I brought Jusenkyou water back for my health, do you? You don't think I carried you out of that sleazy bar for it either? Of all the people I've wronged in my life, it's hurting you I most regret! SO STOP HAUNTING ME!"

Ranma was too angry to respond verbally. He pounced upon Ryouga as fast as he could, meeting nothing but air as his opponent simply vanished from him. Overly-dominant foes always seemed to disappear before one's eyes, Ranma knew. He had done it to others so many times himself.

"Don't you think I've seen hell, too?!" Ryouga demanded, barely close enough to strike from Ranma's flank.

"You tried that the first time, P-chan!" Ranma growled, throwing himself shoulder-first at his still-recovering opponent, who merely vanished a second time. "Poor me! Poor me! You never see what you've really got, Ryouga!" Sensing the man behind him, Ranma reversed himself, and extended his leg straight with a snap, meeting the rock-hard flesh of his opponent.

Ryouga gasped as he stumbled back.

Giving him no chance to recover, Ranma brought his left leg up counterclockwise, snapping the blade of his foot against Ryouga's face. It was enough for Ryouga to fall onto his side, but the man had the elasticity of a rubber band, and was back on his feet before Ranma had a chance to follow through with his attack.

Screaming in torment, Ryouga drilled Ranma's chest with a snap of his fist, not hard enough to break anything, but more than enough to send Ranma flying a few feet, causing him to land on his back. Using the momentum of the punch, Ranma rolled back onto his feet, one hand holding his bruised chest.

"I'll not let you take me easily!" Ryouga cried, half raving mad. "You're not Ranma, are you?!" His voice was somewhere between laughing and screaming, as if they were one and the same. "It's ALWAYS you, isn't it?! I HATE YOU!"

"RENZOKUKEN!" Black energy burned around Ryouga's fists as they blurred towards Ranma. Initializing the Chestnut Fist to merely keep pace, Ranma blocked each stinging blow that came with the crazed man's charge. Although his technique did not match the speed Ranma easily achieved to block it, Ryouga continued his blurring assault well after Ranma would have stopped a Chestnut Fist attack.

"DIE!" Ryouga screamed as he pushed his attack forward.

Ranma screamed as Ryouga broke his defenses, mauling his body with countless punches. The force of the strikes sent Ranma flying backwards to plunge into the lake. Quickly pushing himself up, Ranma waded out of the water. Ryouga stood ten feet away, glowing darkly, his brown eyes replaced with black orbs.

"Mouko Takabisha!" Ranma yelled, unleashing his confidence against the swirl of madness around Ryouga, but it merely evaporated on contact.

"Throw away the disguise!" the man yelled at Ranma. "I know it's you!"

"I don't know what you're whining about," Ranma whispered, feeling his body with his hands. "But I don't care. I will get revenge for what you've done to me!"

"Funny," Ryouga commented, his words eerily calm as he drew in waves of black energy. "You look pitiful in Ranma's guise, declaring vengeance. He's not like that. You have NO RIGHT to slight him like that! I'll banish you for both our sakes!"

Although confused with Ryouga's words, Ranma knew that his intentions were blazingly evident.

"Oh God," he whispered before shutting away his fears for another Fierce Tiger Domineering blast. Somehow, he doubted Ryouga's chi-blast would be stopped.

"Renzoku Ki Ha," were the words spoken by the madman before the bolt of dark energy oozed from his body. It seemed to form into shape like slimy oil dripping from a car, and then without warning it surged forward.

"Mouko Takabisha!" The blue energy from Ranma's confidence was enough to deflect the dark blast enough for it to only scathe Ranma's worn body. It skimmed his right shoulder, melting away the clothing and part of his long hair that got in the way. Unfortunately, the dark energy blast kept coming. Ryouga shifted his stance to bring the pillar of energy crashing down into the water. Taking a deep breath, Ranma swam down, putting as much distance between himself and his attacker.

The cold water did not soothe the pain coursing through his shoulder, nor did it sate the burning sensation around his neck, though he barely felt the latter. It was so bright underneath the lake's surface that he could see Ryouga clearly, standing over him at the shoreline. His opponent then leapt up into the air, spiraling downwards as if he were a cruise missile right before plunging into its target.

Cupping his right shoulder with his left hand, Ranma dove out of the way as his opponent stomped where he had been, bringing a tsunami of water crashing onto the lake's shore. It presented the perfect opportunity to return fire.

"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Ranma yelled, willing every ounce of energy into his attack. Hundreds of punches collided with Ryouga's plate armor chest, as Ranma drove inwards, focusing his strikes in one area of the man's body.

It did not even faze Ryouga.

Ranma was not even able to see the strike that knocked him back, sending him flying across the lake. It felt like one of his Blast Fists, only without the painless single finger strike. One punch was enough to send him over ten feet before he crashed headfirst into the water. Only a split second and a gut reaction saved Ranma from having his head destroyed by an elbow strike Ryouga used on the water next to him. Crashing down upon their heads, the cold liquid came down like a waterfall, showering them for a second as they floated near each other.

"Why did you come back?" Ryouga asked suddenly, instead of attacking. He sounded angry, but not as furious as his actions demanded. A certain degree of madness resonated in his voice, like a child reasoning with an imaginary friend who had decided to disappear when he needed it most, only in reverse. "You were gone for so long. I thought I had you behind me, but then you called me in again. I hate you. I hate you! Why did you come back?!"

"How can you ask that?" Ranma demanded, utterly insulted by the other man's question. "You threw my off a God damn cliff! Of course I'd come back! What, you think I'd forgive and forget?"

Ryouga inhaled deeply through his teeth making a harsh whistling noise as he had listened to Ranma's retort. With each word he gathered more and more anger. His dark, tanned skin glowed red with his fury. "Stop...using...his...voice!"

Nothing could have prepared Ranma for the swiftness of Ryouga's next attack. It was like something out of a manga, how he suddenly appeared in Ranma's face, slamming him a dozen times without slowing. He heard his body crack under the deluge of punches. He simply had no chance to even look at the finishing move as Ryouga's fist drove into his face. Falling back, as if gravity was unsure of what to do after the attack that defied physics, Ranma slowly touched the water, slowly sinking underneath the lake.

He forced his eyes open and stared up through the clear water. Ryouga's face hovered above him as he saw the man reach down to grab a hold of his neck. Even if he'd had the will to do so, Ranma did not struggle with Ryouga as he was shoved further down, unable to float back to the surface. He had felt the feeling before in a dream once or twice.

Perhaps this was all a dream? He would be waking up real soon, if that were the case. _Yes, just a dream. A very scary dream._ He would tell Kiyoshi in the morning without leaving anything out. Still staring up at Ryouga's maddened face, he wondered when the dream would end.

As he began to struggle, a thought crossed his bleary mind: _What if this was not a dream?_

_No, it had to be a dream,_ he thought, trying to breathe, but only taking in water. He was really Kimiko Nishiyama, safe in her bed with her over-sized shirt lent to her by Kiyoshi, her brother. Or maybe she was still safe in his arms in the limousine, without a worry in the world. She would even settle with being asleep in Kenichi's room, sleeping soundly in his bed as he painted her picture. Even if he was a bit of a loon, she liked him. Yes, being asleep in his room would be nice.

Her lungs ached with pain as she felt her eyes burning under the icy-cold water. The dream would not end, but here it was. _It has to grow dark before it can get light._ _Oh so bright, so bright. Morning light, yes, that is what it was. Warm arms, no more chest pain, no more hatred for that man, and no more hatred for anything. She loved everyone...especially Kiyoshi, Akane...Kenichi...Mayako...Rei...ko... Mai...Ryo...sei..._

_...Father..._

* * *

"And in further news," a television news announcer began, "a freak storm seems to be brewing over certain parts of Tokyo city, as strong winds have reportedly been the cause of several small blackouts. We'll have more of that with our weather caster—"

Kenichi shut the screen off with a click of his remote, and yawned, exhausted from lack of sleep. He had to leave for work in about an hour, and decided to get up early for a change. It was not as if he could sleep anyway. Something had been tugging at his consciousness all night, disabling any chance he had at sleep, as if someone were calling out to him, begging for help, yet all he could do was roll over in response.

"I wish I were with Kimiko instead," he regretful sighed, half-tempted to skip work and meet with the target of his affections. He wondered what she was doing right now...probably sleeping, in the warmth of her bed, like he should have been.

Dawn approached, heralding the approach of a new day, and yet Kenichi only felt like reliving yesterday...again and again.

End Part Two: Haunted Pasts

* * *

It takes a thousand words to do what one picture can show. But it takes a thousand pictures to do what three words say. And it only takes one word to break them both. Until next time, farewell.


	8. Part Three: Sayonara (1 of 8)

A ray of light beaming from the heavens shines down upon her, though she cannot see it. Unfortunately, time runs short for the boy turned girl, and not even she can fight it. With truth for a sword and fate as armor, Kimiko Nishiyama is at the top of the summit, one eye blue and the other green, and that is where she must face her past. There is only one obstacle between her and the desire of her new life with her old friends, but is it one she can face? Or will she say the one word that will forever severe her from the ones she loves? The heart she breaks is not her own as she utters, "Sayonara..."

* * *

******Misery Loves Company**  
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Part Three: Sayonara  
(1 of 8)

Although he had kicked off his blankets hours ago, a layer of sweat covered the man's sleeping form. In his sleep, Kiyoshi wiped away the sweat from his brow, and then twisted in his luxurious, king-sized bed. The silk pajamas that normally kept him cool were sticking to his body. He breathed softly, if shallow, one hand pressed against the top pillow, the other underneath it. His hair had splashed against his pillow, like a overturned inkwell against a parchment of paper.

Pulling his hand away from his face, Kiyoshi rested it beside him and sighed as he slowly became conscious. Light from a building across the street shone into the room, just enough to cover his face, just a slit over his shut eyelids. Squinting in displeasure, he blocked the light with his hand, realizing the layers of sweat covering his body. He wondered about it for a moment, his thoughts fragmented by the confusion of the newly awakened.

He considered staying as he was, ignoring the habit of his body to wake slightly before dawn. The strange feeling of waking up soaked in sweat was one he had not experienced for years, and was enough to persuade him to get up. Blinking but once afterward, Kiyoshi snapped his eyes open. The sliver of light from the window caused him to wince.

Warily turning to his clock, he read, "5:58," two minutes before he had set his alarm to sound. With a trick he used to orient himself in the morning, he watched the colon between the two fives blink steadily with each passing second until 5:59, when he reached over and turned off the alarm.

Yawning deeply, Kiyoshi slid to the side of the bed and sat, firmly planting his feet on the ground. The coolness of the floorboards felt good under his uncomfortably warm feet. With his right hand, he cupped his jaw and rubbed it, regarding his morning stubble.

A breeze from the window chilled his bare arms and legs, and he narrowed his eyes in thought. If the window was open, and the air was cold, should the room not be at least slightly cooler? It felt as if someone had left a humidifier on in the room all night long, and he had enough sweat soaking the bed and his body to prove it.

The evidence did not add correctly. When Kiyoshi found such things out of place, it almost always meant something was wrong. He had no clue what it could be, but decided he would be better served checking his sister, Kimiko, before getting prepared to meet his colleagues.

Stripping his sodden underclothes off, Kiyoshi tossed the garments into a small pile of dirty clothes in the corner of his almost tidy room. He then walked to the adjoining bathroom and grabbed a towel, wiping most of the sweat from his body. After collecting an outfit, he put on fresh underclothes and a pair of black pants, then slipped his arms into the sleeves of a white shirt, leaving his socks, shoes and his tie behind for later.

Kiyoshi pulled his long hair out from the back of the shirt, letting it fall down on his shoulders, coming to a rest on his back. His short walk through the living room and to the other side of the hotel suite took him to the door of his sister's room. He rapped his knuckles against the door and began buttoning his shirt up from the bottom.

When he reached the last three buttons, he paused and knocked again, waiting patiently for an answer, but still received no response.

"Kimiko, are you awake?" His voice was strong, hopefully loud enough to stir her out of bed.

But he heard nothing.

"I'm coming in," he stated, taking the doorknob and turning it. The door creaked open slowly, revealing an empty room. He frowned, looking at the messy state of the room. Clothes were scattered about the floor, the sheets on the bed were all twisted and the comforter had been thrown to the floor. After a quick check of her bathroom, he shook his head and went into the living room.

As he pressed the button to turn on the speaker phone, he knew something was wrong. It was a feeling in his gut, a premonition perhaps, or maybe last night's dinner...Akane was said to have been in the kitchen...

"There's no reason to be alarmed," he told himself, fighting the slight shake of his right hand as he released the button. "She's probably at the Tendous'." Taking a deep breath, Kiyoshi spoke into the microphone. "Front desk, please."

A moment later, a voice responded. "This is the front desk. How may I help you Nishiyama-san?"

"Did my sister leave a message with you?" he asked, leaning on the table in which the speaker phone stood.

"Yes," the voice replied. "She said to tell you that she would be out on a jog this morning. Is something wrong, sir?"

"No, of course not," Kiyoshi replied, fidgeting nervously. He closed his eyes, wondering what he had felt earlier. It was a mixture of anxiety and dread, he thought. I never feel like that unless something is wrong, he thought.

"Sir, will that be all?"

Kiyoshi started, having forgotten leaving the phone on. "No, have a car prepared for me as quickly as possible. Thank you." He pressed the disconnect button on the phone and quickly walked to his room, snatching his shoes and socks. Somehow he knew there was little time to spare, barely remembering to close the door behind him. The hotel's halls were empty this early in the morning, he realized as he ran down them barefoot. He probably looked like a fool, he thought, as he entered the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby.

"I am a fool," he whispered to himself as he fumbled with his socks, barely managing to get both of them on before the ride was over.

Running over the coarse rugs of the hotel's lobby, Kiyoshi quickly found the front desk. The well-dressed concierge stood and bowed from behind his desk. He did not even look the least bit fazed by Kiyoshi's disheveled appearance.

"Your car is waiting for you, Nishiyama-san," the man said with a smile. "Will there be anything else?"

Glancing out the glass doors to the street, he saw a limousine waiting for him. He then looked back at the concierge. "My sister didn't happen to say where she was jogging to, did she?"

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, but she did not. She did head west down the street, though, if that is of any help."

Kiyoshi nodded. "Thank you." He was about to turn but paused. "You wouldn't happen to have any string lying around, by any chance?"

"String, sir?" The concierge looked confused, but looked around on his desk. A second later, the man actually found a small length of pink string on his desk. "You are in luck, sir." He then handed it to Kiyoshi.

"Thank you," Kiyoshi whispered. "Please, credit yourself a tip of ten thousand yen for your help." Kiyoshi missed the man's greedy smile as he jogged out the door. The chauffeur, a large balding man dressed in an undersized tuxedo, opened the door for him. He slid onto the leather seats and the door was closed for him.

"Where to, Nishiyama-san?" The deep voice of the chauffeur asked after he settled in.

Kiyoshi thought for a moment as he slipped his shoes on, then replied. "West down the street, where would be a good place to jog?"

The chauffeur hummed in thought. "There's a park no more than a few miles down the road, and it should be open by now."

"Take me there," he told him, looking at the pink string in his hand. The car lurched forward, catching him off-guard slightly. After pulling the string to its length and gathering his hair, he tied it into a ponytail. Taking a deep breath, he wondered why exactly he decided to play overbearing big brother, again. Kimiko would probably roll her eyes at his concern, but it was more than worth receiving that then not listening to his gut if she was actually in trouble. If he was not careful though, he could end up pushing her away.

The limousine contended with very few cars as it drove silently down Tokyo's streets. Only a few moments passed, leaving Kiyoshi in utter silence. The tint of the windows kept the car's interior dark, but Kiyoshi could see with unnatural clarity, and he noticed a crumpled note carelessly left on the floor by his right foot. He hesitated, sensing something wrong about the paper's message. Closing his eyes, he reached down and took it with his outstretched fingers.

The note was not crumpled as much as it was folded carelessly. He curiously held it up against the light to read its message.

"Kiyoshi Nishiyama," he began reading aloud. "This is the last warning. If you do not resign, drastic measures will be taken against you to make sure that you do not undermine the superiority of the company. Do not take this threat lightly, for it will determine whether or not you and your sister live much longer." He stopped at the end of the message, then looked at the typed letters, recognizing the print as the same used in the messages written before this one.

He cursed under his breath, clenching his right fist. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he held the paper tightly in his left hand, and then stuffed it into the left pocket of his pants. He wondered how he could have been so careless to let Kimiko become involved.

The car then pulled over to a stop in front of a large gated area. Kiyoshi turned his head and exhaled deeply.

A wave of nausea washed over him with his first step out of the limousine. His attempt to stand was abruptly halted as he felt something force him back into his seat. It was as if someone had shoved him back into the car with a heavy hand. He coughed as he jerked and slid back, across the smooth leather seats and fumbled with the opposite door. Without even turning, he pushed himself through the door and rolled out of the car onto the street, then somersaulted to his feet.

Turning on his heels, he felt a chill rush down his spine as tears nearly blinded him. He heard the chauffeur's door click open, and he watched it slam close as the driver began to exit the vehicle.

Something was trying to stop him from getting to Kimiko.

Kiyoshi catapulted himself over the limousine and onto the sidewalk on the other side. He rushed towards the gate of the park at full speed, feeling something just an inch behind him, breathing down his back, trying to catch him. Not even an Olympic sprinter could have caught him then, but whatever was behind him did, smashing into his back like a battering ram forcing down the gates of a defending castle.

The force of the blow sent him sliding on the concrete sidewalk, and as he tried to roll to his feet, he felt a hand holding him down.

"Damn you!" Kiyoshi growled, gathering a quick pool of energy. It only took the briefest of seconds, and his fists began to glow white. He spoke no name nor gave any further cry, but simply turned and unleashed the fiery white blast of his searing white chi energy upon his attacker. The pure energy blast cut through empty air, surging towards the heavens as a beam of light. Unfortunately, he detected that no enemy was there to receive it.

Jumping to his feet, he tried to reach out with his senses, to locate the form and mode of his attacker's assault. He heard a cackle right before he felt the power. Somewhere nearby, someone was expending an awful amount of chi energy, for the very feeling of it was so strong that it made him want to vomit.

Kiyoshi turned back to the gate, but could not lift his feet. As if glued to the ground, the rubber of his shoes seemed to have been fused with the concrete sidewalk. He struggled to lift even a single foot but could not. He looked around for an explanation, and saw it then. A shadow cast by no figure around lay gathered around his foot. It had taken the shape of a humanoid, and its hands wrapped around Kiyoshi's feet.

He felt the hairs rise on his neck as he gathered himself for another attack.

"Bakusai Tenketsu!"

The concrete shattered, spraying bits all over the surroundings as a cloud of dust shot up around of Kiyoshi. Feeling no pain as the chips of shrapnel ricocheted off him, he wasted no time and emerged from the blast site, launching himself through the gates and speeding down the pathway into the park.

"Nooooo..." a horrible voice cried as he made his way towards the origins of the energy, and hopefully towards his sister.

* * *

Unadulterated rage seethed through Ryouga as he stood waist deep in the icy cold water. In a haze of confusion, he stared down at his victim's wide blue eyes. The answer to his problem was within his grasp, and all he had to do was defeat the demon here and now. He watched as the girl's hair floated around her head in waves. Free of all binding, it flowed around her so gently, so much unlike the violence of their earlier battle, and its conclusion. Never had he remembered Ranma's female body possessing so much hair.

With both of his hands pressed tightly against her throat, he struggled to hold her under the water. So far, she had refused to vanish as most of the specters had before this one. It continued to fight, though it was beginning to slow.

"That's right," he muttered, shaking in the fierce cold. "Die."

Her body slowly grew limp until she stopped resisting all together. He looked down and met her glassy gaze, suddenly shaken by her beautiful blue eyes. Although he still held her underwater with all of his strength, he wondered for the first time if he had been wrong.

Did he just kill someone?

No more thoughts passed through his mind when he felt a strong hand grab a hold of his. He shot his glance down at Ranma's hand, clenching his more fiercely than before. Her other one reached across and stopped over his fingers. Ryouga howled in pain as she forcibly wrenched his fingers back, three in her small hand, until he tore his hand out of her grasp and jumped back a half dozen feet.

She gracefully rose out of the water, as if sitting up on a bed; he had never seen such a terrifying sight. Her face was blue and her eyes were strangely peaceful, as her long red hair clung to her shoulders and the tatters of her shirt. Though he was probably just shy of a foot taller than her, she now towered over him, her feet limply dragging over the surface of the water as her torn sweat pants rippled in the wind. Most frightening of all, the aura of chi glowing around her was so bright that he had to shade his eyes with his uninjured hand.

Quiet as death, Ranma began her counterattack.

Ryouga jumped away from the first chi blast's impact as it evaporated the water in a circle, six feet wide. Landing on the edge of the lake, he threw himself out of the way of the second, which cut through the air he had so quickly vacated.

"You're not him," Ryouga stated with a dead voice, readying himself for another chi blast.

"You are correct," the strange, hollow voice echoed from Ranma's slightly parted lips. Her arms did not even raise as a third chi blast formed of her aura, then spiraled towards him straight out of her body. The speed of the spherical chi blast took him off guard, and the end of it caught his foot as he tried to roll out of its way.

Scrambling to his feet after his failed dodge, he was unprepared for the fourth blast, which caught him square in the chest. Tendrils of excruciating pain rippled down his body, and he crumpled to the floor in a heap. He struggled with his unresponsive limbs to stand and fought back for all he was worth, managing to pull himself into a sitting position. All of his muscled felt cramped, but he forced himself to stand and face Ranma head on.

"What the hell are you?" Ryouga asked, struggling with his stiff fingers to form his hand into a fist.

Her image blurred and vanished in response, reappearing to stand directly in front of him. She blinked, and in that moment, he saw himself reflected in the glassy surface of her eye.

"Eternal Vengeance," she whispered so softly, it tickled his ears.

He took an awkward step backwards, tripping under the pressure of his own weight. Crashing downwards, he tried to brace his fall with his arms, but they slipped in the wet grass, and his head swung back and collided with the ground. He feverishly looked up, fully aware of his loss.

Ranma leaned over him, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him above her. His feet dangled above the earth, skimming the grass.

"I do not want you," her hollow voice whispered.

Her image blurred in his eyes again, but this time he saw double. Her sickly pale, whitish-blue face danced before him as he tried to comprehend her words.

"I don't understand," he said, allowing his body to fall limp, all but for his neck. He held his head up firm, wanting to keep at least that much dignity before his death.

"Of course, you do not," she patronized, gritting her teeth at him. "I'm waiting for your demon." Fear paralyzed what was left of his awareness as she turned her head and looked over her left shoulder. A half smile creased on her pale lips. With her right hand, she turned his head the direction she had been facing.

"He's come for you," she told him, her voice full of anticipation. "At last."

Her words sealed his fate as he felt fingers, cold as ice, dragging against the skin of his neck. Shivering as they slid against his back, under his shirt, Ryouga stared at his captor. The nightmare was back, reaching into his heart, making him think things he did not wish to even conceive. The voices began whispering into his ears again, telling him to calm down, that all would be fine, but he knew they were lying. They always lied about everything.

Struggling to pull himself free from Ranma's iron grip, he fumbled in his attempt to pry her hands from his collar. Numbness reached up his body to his fingers, making even gripping her hands difficult. It was so easy to lose, to give up, roll over and let go. Cold, tired and weakened by the fight, Ryouga fought to keep his head straight enough to face her.

"Please, Ranma," he begged, pleading for his very sanity. "Don't do this. I've made mistakes. We've...all made mistakes. Let...me...go. I swear that I'll change."

Tears freely streaked down his face, though he hardly noticed at that point, fighting just to stare his captor in the eyes. And then, when he finally pieced it together, his jaw crept open as horror froze what was left of his body.

He stared into the eyes of a stranger, horrific green, shining like rounded emeralds, hard and empty but for stone to the very core. He would find no mercy from her as he helplessly dangled in her strong grip that held him steady. Somehow the look on the girl's face was familiar, from another time. Maybe it was the maniacal determination he recognized, or the uncaring wrath. Whatever it was, he knew that he would no longer even care in another moment.

Turning his head one last time, his arms fell slack to his sides. Even as Ranma released him, allowing him to stand once more on his own, he knew it was too late. Day and night seemed to be fused together, for he was neither back in the park, nor in the field of endless green. Somewhere between worlds was where he stood, somewhere in the emptiness of his own existence.

Countless horrific memories of ages long past mixed with his own again, making him want to shiver. In fact, he wanted to do anything but stand in front of Ranma, staring as he was now, but it did not matter what he wanted.

His nightmare renewed. The dream was reality. It was not phantom, but true menace. When Ryouga's fist clenched and was sent towards Ranma with blinding speed, he smiled. Free again.

* * *

He stood on the edge of reality, of day and night, of light and dark. A rip in the air floated before him, its edges swirling around the center. Kiyoshi had followed the path for a few minutes. His sense was a compass, and it led him right here, right now. This was the north, the direction the pin pointed towards, as Kimiko was its destination. It shrieked madly, like nails across a blackboard, shredding eardrums. Something tore a hole through the very fabric of space, and that someone had to have a reason.

Why here? Why now? Why her?

Violet energy around the tear crackled in response, calling his name with words unspoken. Between two trees, merely infants in a fledgling forest, the paradox of his knowledge expanded violently, knocking him back with a shock wave that quaked the very earth. Kiyoshi blocked his eyes as it burned intensely bright for an instant, but held his ground.

"Oh God, what the hell is this?" he asked, voice muted by the horrible screech. If this were the work of an assassin in his opposition, then he would renege his company the very moment he found a phone. Neither he, nor any hundred of his equals together could have accomplished such a feat, bending the very cosmos to the will of a mortal soul.

On the fringes of the portal, hands formed out of the misty violet energy. Kiyoshi stood entranced, unable to move, paralysis creeping up his spine with growing the apprehension, a fear beyond which words could describe. He did not know exactly what beckoned him forward, but even as outstretched fingers wrapped around his body, he did not respond, simply allowing the force to reel him into the gap in space.

A hundred images flashed in Kiyoshi's mind, times of pleasure, times of rejoice, every good moment in his life repeated before his eyes. Then it slowed, and stopped, on one brief instant in time...

She sat by the well, under a bright, almost full moon. The pale light washed out all but a few stars, and she glowed underneath it. The illumination only enhanced the remarkable beauty she possessed. Her full, red lips, sullen on the spectacular night, should have been blasphemy, for it would have to any other been a sin. Somehow, her dark, pensive mood undermined the beauty of the night, dimming it to become only a background in a portrait of a woman.

Her hands clenched the bricks of the well and she tilted her head, looking up at him for a moment, sending his heart aflutter. She noticed him, for the first time perhaps, or maybe not. A young Happosai stuck his hands through his short, unkempt black hair, daring not to look at her a moment more. But something drew his eyes back, and something willed him to approach her.

She did not look up as he took a few nervous steps forward, testing not only his right to be there, but his courage as well.

"You can sit, if you like," she offered, meeting his eyes without reservation. Her brown ones reflected the moonlight.

"Thank you," he whispered, bowing his head as he meekly took a seat next to the woman of his dreams.

They sat in silence sitting on the edge of the brick well, merely enjoying the night and the warmth of each other's presence. She scooted towards him, close enough for him to smell her perspiration, and a faint scent of spring flowers. She was the only thing on his mind as he turned his head to face her, to see her face again. Longing for her filled his every pore as he examined her closely, running his eyes down the pale features of her delicate jaw line, down to the scant cleavage of her chest, only revealed because of his proximity with her. He brought his eyes back up, and drank of her essence, merely sitting close with her.

"Come away with me," she said in her subdued, light voice. "Just you, me and the moon! We can run far, far away from this place, with nothing to hold us down. No fathers, no reputations, no money, nothing. Let us leave here together tonight, right now, and forever!" Her eyes pleaded with him as tears ran down her eyes, smearing the makeup on her face. "Please?"

In everyone's past, there is at least one moment in time which the person wishes that they could change the course of history, to alter one set of events that could potentially make all the difference in the world, to set things right, to ultimately make that individual happier. To purchase such a thing, many would do just about anything, but the reality of it was different than the fantasy. Happosai knew that as he stared at his eternal love's outstretched hand and the glistening tears streaking down her cheeks.

Who would not say yes in his situation?

That second he could have chosen his re-occurring fantasy of over a hundred years, to get that chance he had so wished for that he might have sold his very soul to get, but he did not.

Too many good memories were mixed with the bad and the ones that could never be. People, places, lives and histories all flashed before him. Lives he saved, lives he ruined and others he simply enriched all mixed together into one elixir, from Kimiko to Tarou. Would things have been better for them? Would they have been worse? Could he risk all of that on one unfulfilled wish of his distant past? He closed his eyes and made his choice.

"I can't," he whispered, and instantly knew he would regret it forever. When he opened his eyes, he drew back in shock. Her face began melting. With wide eyes, he watched in horror as his entire world faded, growing into one collective dark body of shadow. He threw his hands out to grab her, to perhaps save her from whatever fate awaited her, but met nothing as he passed through where she had sat, and then fell forward through what had been a well and solid ground.

The sudden gravity made nausea collect in his stomach as he tried to concentrate on what was. He was Kiyoshi; he could not forget that. That was the name of his new life. He barely held onto himself as he fell through an empty black void. He then reeled, unbalanced as he found hard ground beneath his feet, and a sky over his head.

He stumbled and fell to his knees, disoriented and nauseous, struggling to collect his scattered wits and fighting his blurred senses. A surreal pink glow encompassed him as a light breeze played with his long ponytail, pushing locks of black hair into his face. The muted rustle of trees in spring tickled his ears in his otherwise silent environment. Not adjusted to such sudden shifts of reality, and not entirely sure what had just occurred, Kiyoshi concentrated on deep breathing, regaining control of himself.

The bright pink light filtered through the back of his hair, and when he brushed the locks out of his face, what he saw made goose bumps rise on his arms. As far as his naked eye could see, endless rows of cherry trees in full blood were ordered in a perfect line. A glance around him proved that they surrounded him. It was as if God had lifted him with His enormous hands and tossed him into the center of a sea of brilliant pink cherry trees. It would only take one gust of wind, and a tsunami of neon flowers would drown him.

Looking down at his clothing, he remarked at the sky blue jacket, with matching silk shirt and pants. His loose clothing swished with each fruitless step he took, never approaching anything but trees. Everywhere they swayed in the light breeze that trickled past him, caressing his face, as if it tasted him, savoring every inch of his exposed skin.

Was this any more real than the vision of his lost love, once again asking him to throw away his responsibilities and join her? The thought resonated in his mind as he looked about the land. Drawing close to the nearest tree, he reached and plucked a vibrant pink leaf from a branch. When he held open his hand, he blinked in surprise. The leaf's color had smeared across his hand, as if he stood in an oil painting that had yet to dry. He dropped the leaf, allowing it to sail to the ground.

At a moment's whim, Kiyoshi licked the stain on his hand, marveling at its sweetness. Reaching for another leaf, he plucked another and then bit into it. The taste reminded him of cotton candy, but mixed with some artificial fruit candy. He let the remains of the leaf fall to the ground.

"Where are you, Kimiko?" he demanded of the forest, vainly staring in a direction. A sharp pain exploded from the inside of his head in reply. He groaned, falling back against the tree with a hand to his head and his eyelids tightly shut. The pain vanished as quickly as it had struck him, leaving him light-headed.

The rustle of the trees died instantly and he stood up straight, looking about him for a reason, as the breeze still lightly played across his skin, leaving him in utter silence. The swish of silk clothing other than his own met his sound-starved ears, and he searched for an answer, finding one.

"I'm here, Kiyoshi."

Kimiko stood a few yards away from him, dressed in a stunning silk dress that swayed at the tips of her heeled shoes, and every inch of her clothing was as pink as the trees. A matching ribbon loosely bound her beautiful red hair over her left shoulder. Shiny pinpoints of light gleamed at her ears, though he had not even known her ears were pierced. As she approached him, holding her dress at her hips to keep it from brushing the ground, her sparkling sapphire eyes blinked so slowly, amplifying the surreal quality of her appearance and her very presence there.

"Do you know where we are?" he asked, walking forward to meet her half way.

"I do not," she gravely replied, stopping inches from him. She looked up and met his steel-gray eyes. Her flawless features had never been so beautiful, under the soft glow of the pink shade. "But I am so glad you are here."

"I'm just glad that you're okay," he told her with a smile, clasping his hands in front of him. "You really had me worried there."

"Worried about me?" she inquired, tilting her head slightly. The oh so soft tone of her voice sounded strange coming from her pink lips, fragrant with so much femininity.

"Well, I did get this note," he began, but promptly wished he had not. The last thing he wanted to do was worry her with empty threats of those who would see him ousted from his position as CEO.

"Note?" she asked softly, blinking in confusion.

"Nothing, forget it," he prompted her, turning his head to look out over the endless grove of cherry trees. "God, where are we?"

He heard her gently sigh, then felt her hands take his and lift them up to her face. As he turned his head to address her, he felt the warm lips gently kiss the back of his left hand, and for a moment her hot breath before she let it go. Kiyoshi watched her in wonder as she took his other hand and led him from their place under the trees.

Bringing his free hand to his face, he looked at the imprint her pink lipstick left upon his skin. It was bright, like her lips, like her dress, like the trees...

"Come this way," she urged him, taking him towards a spot in the grass that was warm with the gentle rays sunlight. It warmed his skin when they stopped beneath it. The halo of light made a perfect circle, a small clearing in the wood that existed nowhere else he had seen in his inspection of the place.

"What is here?" Kiyoshi wondered aloud as she sat, gently tugging his arm for him to follow suit. He did, crossing his legs and pressing the palms of his hands to his thighs.

"We are," Kimiko cryptically told him, smiling sweetly.

Her answer was so simple, yet it meant something, leaving him more puzzled than when he had asked her. Something about her behavior made him uneasy, something about the way she had walked, the way she talked...

"Are you feeling all right?" Kiyoshi leaned forward, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead, but her temperature felt regular. She gently caught his hand before he could return it to his side, and then pressed it to her cheek, sliding it past her chin and onto her bare shoulder. He was embarrassed to notice how much cleavage was exposed by the circular curve of her dress. He would have immediately returned to sit back, but for his hand.

"I am now that you are with me," she whispered, drawing his hand towards her lips again. He held his breath as she kissed his hand, once and twice, then turned it over, caressing his palm so gently it tickled. As platonic as he wanted to see her gesture, not one bit of it felt that way to him. Everything she did defied reality.

"You are acting very strangely," he told her, taking his hand from her, eliciting a small sigh. "What is going on here? Why are you being so forward with me?"

Kimiko looked up at him like a scolded puppy, her lip quivering and eyes watering. "Don't hate me." She sniffled and turned from him, clasping her hands tightly. "I've missed you so much. I thought I'd never see you again. I-I thought I'd be alone forever."

This time Kiyoshi moved forward, gently catching her chin in his hand. A confusing wave of sensation flooded his body, but he tried to keep his mind clear, for her distress was real.

"I only saw you a few hours ago, Kimiko-chan," he said with a smile, fondly rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "Why did you think it feel like forever?"

Her eyes glazed slightly as she cocked her head in thought, as a crystalline tear sparkled down her cheek, leaving a trail of salty wetness. Kimiko bit her bottom lip, and then closed her eyelids as more tears flushed her eyes. Fighting sobs, she fell forward and tightly wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her face on his chest.

"I don't know!" she exclaimed, losing her voice to uncontrolled sobbing.

Just as confused as she, Kiyoshi slowly brought his arms around her, and then cooed to her, like he would a child. "Shush, honey. I'm here for you; there's no need to worry anymore. Please, don't cry."

What had happened that could bring her to this state of being, his strong adopted sister, his once rival, and his forever love? He gently held her, unsure what he could say to ease whatever fears she might have. He would definitely need to discern the source of her angst, and then destroy it.

"How did you get here?" he asked, soothingly rubbing her back. As her sobs died, and her breathing slowed, he slowly pulled her back to face her. She looked up at him, her wide, red eyes glittering. "Or do you not remember that, either?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head, frowning so that he thought she might begin crying again.

"What do you remember, then?" He held her by her thin shoulders, and could both hear and feel her heart beating rapidly.

"Water," she whispered, opening her eyes to stare at him, as if fascinated with his eyes. "And eyes. Evil eyes. They hated me, hated me so much. I'm scared of them, Kiyoshi." She paused to sniffle, fighting to keep as calm as she was. "And there were kind eyes, too, that saved me from the other eyes. They didn't hate me. They love me, but I'm scared of them more. I don't know why, but I am."

"Neither of those are my eyes, are they?" Kiyoshi asked, smiling warmly as he tried to piece together any sense from her hysterical puzzle.

"No," she emphatically stated, hurried as if scared he would run had she said yes. "Not yours, Kiyoshi. Your eyes look cold, but they're not. I can see through them, to you. Those other eyes are mirrors, reflecting me, not the people behind them. I love your eyes, Kiyoshi. So honest, and they love to see me for no reason." She weakly smiled, and then stretched her arms to her hands on his shoulders.

She spoke with childlike innocence, it seemed to him. Her words were heartfelt, flowing with pure, unfiltered emotion, but they were not checked by her rationality. It was as if he were talking to a child that could not lie, speaking wholly from her heart. That was the impression her speech and actions gave him. She had been like this after waking from her comma over a year ago, babbling her fears and insecurities as freely as her love.

"Those other two aren't around here, are they?" He asked, trying to put her fears to rest completely.

She slowly blinked, shaking her head. "Just us." Sliding her hands to his neck, she slowly leaned forward. Kiyoshi opened his eyes wide, surprised and unnerved as she scooted up against him, propping her body close.

"Just us, Kiyoshi-kun," she whispered once more. Paralysis crept up his body as she completely encircled him with herself, and then passionately kissed him. He was completely at her mercy. Her lips tasted like the leaves, so sweet that his mouth watered for more of her, and she was only too willing to comply. Her kiss became more, taking advantage of his defenselessness, drawing him in deeper, draining away whatever resistance he had.

She moaned as she fervently probed his mouth, tantalizingly bringing her hands down his back, as if searching. They stopped for a moment as they still kissed, then reached back up, taking the collar of his strange silk jacket, dragging it back.

Breaking the kiss, Kimiko stared at him, drinking of his eyes. Kiyoshi stared back, mouth ajar, in shock. His head spun as she reached her hands underneath the jacket, drawing it back to his wrists. His cheeks began to burn when she released him and then brought her hands to his waist, catching the end of his shirt. Slipping her hands beneath it, Kimiko slid her hands up his brick chest with a half-smile. Lifting even that, she pulled it up until it barely obscured his nipples, then took her hands out and took the ends, tugging it over his head, sliding it to his wrists.

With his hands bound by his clothing, Kiyoshi took a deep breath and released it, his naked chest shaking with a mix of fear and anticipation.

As if the process had taken every bit of restraint she had, Kimiko flung herself on him, knocking him back to lay flat on the grass, where she sat on his lap and began kissing every inch of his face. Kiyoshi only closed his eyes, unable to comprehend this, fighting his hunger for her. Her lips met his once more, amplifying his need a hundred times. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to drown under her.

Kimiko stopped the kiss prematurely, cutting him dry. He blinked his eyes open and helplessly watched as she began to unbutton the top of her dress. Somehow he knew he had to stop her, but that thought slowly evaporated as she reached the end of the rift of her dress, just above her belly button. Every last thought in his head vanished when she slid one shoulder out of her dress, exposing her perfect right breast.

"I love you," she whispered, leaning down to kiss him again, pressing her chest against his. He gasped in pleasure as she brought her kiss lower, to his chest, dragging her breast against him. She stopped, sitting up. "You love me, don't you Kiyoshi?" He could hear the strain in her voice, her struggle against the promise of pleasure, and her loss to it.

"With all my heart," he managed to tell her, pulling his left hand from the binding clothing. He sat, freeing his other hand, and then drank of her lips again, marveling at the exotic flavor. He slipped his right hand around her waist as she reached around his neck, and then brought the left side of her dress, and pulled it down. Although he gently took her left breast in his hand, she gasped in pain in spite of their kiss.

He quickly retracted his body from her, shocked to awareness.

"Are you all right?" he asked, catching his breath. She nodded, and then slid forward on him to continue where they had left off, but he stopped her by taking her shoulders.

"What?" she whispered in disappointment. "Don't stop. Please, don't stop!"

"Wait," he replied, realizing the source of her pain. Her left breast was still blemished from her fight with Rintaro, where she had taken a punch to the nipple. Remembering it was enough to restore at least a semblance of his self-control.

That's it! He thought, suddenly understanding her behavior. Somehow, she was id without superego, left completely in its mercy and carnal desire. Much like a child, she was guided by the immediate satisfaction of a tryst with him. Wherever and whatever this place was, it was doing the same thing to him, empowering his id.

"Don't you want me?" she asked of him, her naked skin quivering with the loss of his touch. "Please, I want you to take me. You have to. Please don't deny me."

"I can't," he whispered, shying his face from her. "It's not right. We can't do this."

A sob escaped her lips and she took his face with her hands, roughly turning his head. "Don't look away! Am I that ugly to you? Please, don't leave me." Tears coursed down her cheeks, becoming a river of her sorrow.

"You are very beautiful, Kimiko-chan," he told her, taking the shoulders of her dress and pulling it up to cover her. "You are more beautiful than anyone I know, and it takes every bit of self-control I have to not do what you wish." He then started to button it up.

"Why deny me, then?" she asked, whether confused over his answer or with her own desire.

"Because I love you too much for this," he answered, somehow not able to back up his words as well as he would have liked. Why not? He asked himself. Why not, indeed. "It may not make much sense now, but trust me on this. You do trust me, right?"

"More than anyone," she assured him, watching his hands intently as they finished buttoning her dress. Catching his them before he could retract them, she pressed them against her breasts. "But why not, if we love each other? I don't understand. Everything's so confusing."

He nodded, turning his hands, interlacing his fingers with hers. Why not? He could not, at least not like this, not here, not now. "That's why. We're drunk here, in this beautifully dangerous place. And we have to find a way out."

"But there is no way out!" she exclaimed, leaning forward and hugging him tightly.

"There has to be," he argued, resting his arms around her. "Every prison has some escape."

She shook her head against his chest. "There isn't! I've tried! The trees go on forever and ever, like the grass in the park."

"What park?" Kiyoshi asked.

Kimiko sat back and stared up at him, hard in thought. "The park! I remember it! I saw someone there. We fought, but everything was all wrong. I couldn't fight back, then I fell in the water, and he burned me." When she spoke the last, he watched in awe as the shoulder of her dress melted, revealing lightly burnt skin. She groaned in pain grabbing a hold of her shoulder.

"Don't stop remembering," he urged her.

She nodded warily, cautiously looking down at her shoulder. "There wasn't much after that, though. I just remember him choking me under the water, then nothing. When I woke up, I was here. I don't know how long I've been here, but it seems like I've been here for years." Glancing up at her brother, Kimiko pouted. "Really, I don't know anything else."

Leaning forward, she rested her head on his shoulder, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He could feel her heart beating as she pressed herself to him. As he contemplated, her story made a strange amount of sense, as his own observations of her behavior seemed to fit together with it. The way she clutched him now did not alert him as it had formerly, but rather the fact that she actually thought she had been in this fantastic world for such a time did, and she was actually scared he might disappear should she let go of him.

Trying to get her to recollect anything was like asking her to remember a nightmare that the little redhead had been desperately trying to forget already. Her murder that she had described was something similar he remembered dreaming once...so long ago he could not discern when that had been. Drowned, choked, murdered, those were a horrifying theme, and something he had hoped had not happened to her in reality.

That thought brought a sliver of fear into his mind. What if the assassin, the writer of the note had already murdered her? Would he not then have to be dead as well?

"What do you think we should do, then?" he softly asked her, whispering the words into her ear as he held her. "Do you know any way out, or anywhere we can go?"

Kimiko drew back slowly, a puzzled expression echoing the confusing she had emoted in her earlier conversation. "Do? Go? Haven't you tried walking? There's nowhere to go! There's nothing to do! I thought I would be here by myself forever, until you came. I walked so far that I collapsed, and when I woke up, it seemed as if someone had put me back where I started from." Her words grew more hysterical with each uttered syllable, as if the very question he had asked was so ridiculous that it barely merited an answer.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, bowing his head. "I just want to get out of here and get back to the hotel before it's too late, if it isn't already."

"Don't leave me here!" Kimiko cried back, throwing her arms around him again. "Please, I love you! Don't go!"

"I'm not leaving you behind," Kiyoshi replied, massaging her back. "You're coming with me, of course."

"But-but-" she sputtered, pulling her head back to look up at him. "He said I couldn't leave! He said I had to stay here forever!"

Kiyoshi blinked, stunned by her response. "Who said that? You didn't mention meeting anyone here."

She started to respond back, but her reply caught in her throat. Gasping for breath, she grabbed her throat, looking into his shocked eyes with a horrified expression on her face. Then, as she struggled to stay upright on his lap, her eyes rolled back in head and she limply fell into his arms.

"Kimiko!" he exclaimed, shaking her gently. "Oh, God!"

Her heart, he realized, had stopped.

And then, as he held her in his arms, the world began to wash away, as if it were but a painting, and the artist had splashed it with turpentine. He closed his eyes, holding onto his little sister for dear life, unwilling to lose her in the transition. Her body's weight suddenly became insignificant, as if she had been replaced with a bag of feathers. Opening his eyes, he gasped, staring at her transparent form. He could see his hands through her insubstantial body.

Matters suddenly felt totally out of his control, leaving Kiyoshi feeling stranded, naked, and utterly vulnerable. Rarely in his life had he been trapped as he was now. Now, as he looked out over the endless green countryside, his eyes settled to look at the clear lake far in the distance. Manipulated, the earth shuddered beneath him.

"Oh Kimiko," he whispered, crouching as he held his sister in his arms, hugging her tightly.

* * *

A cool breeze caressed Mayako's cheek as she slowly woke to a bright, sunlit room. The glow encompassed her, shining directly on her face. Drawing her arm to cover her eyes, she groaned in annoyance. There was a reason she preferred her curtains closed in the morning. Whoever designed the house must not have realized how perfectly the morning sun shown into this room. Although she chose this room because it had an extra window, as the other two bedrooms only had one each.

She inhaled the chilly air, realizing the window was open as well. Strangely enough, she could not remember the last time she had left it open for any reason. Throwing aside her blanket, she sat up, and then found that she had slept on the floor.

"Huh?" she whispered in confusion, the morning fog still clouding her brain.

Mayako shrugged, then stood and turned towards the window. Rintaro sat on the edge of the bed with his eyes closed, relaxing in the warm sunlight. He almost looked peaceful. Then he opened his eyes and turned towards her with a blank face, and she realized what she had worn to sleep.

"Eep!" she exclaimed, dropping back to her makeshift bed, a few piled up blankets, and covered herself with them. A shirt and panties were not something she wanted to be seen in by someone whom she considered a creep, most of the time.

He did not even blink, but simply turned his head and closed his eyes. Mayako watched him as he weakly lay on his back.

"I lost," he mechanically whispered, just loud enough for her to hear.

"It was close," she consoled, tightening her grip on the blanket covering her. "I honestly thought you were going to win."

Rintaro responded with a tired shrug, and continued to bathe in the sunlight. He still wore his uniform, as he had during his fight with Kimiko, but the front was open, and his pants were still laid out on Mayako's desk by the end of the bed. She was thankful he wore boxers, and not briefs. Seeing anymore of his body could not have been good for her now carefully maintained libido. The tireless exercise he endured made him into a hunk.

"You're welcome," she said, in response to his unspoken thanks for letting him stay the night in her bed.

"Thank your mother for me, too," he told her. She could not help getting a little angry over his ever-commanding tone.

"Why can't you thank her yourself?" Mayako indignantly asked.

Sucking in a deep breath, Rintaro did not answer. He merely continued his sun bathing on her bed. His tanned chest slowly fell as he exhaled the breath.

"I'm not talking to a wall here," she snapped, dropping her blanket down to her waist. "You can respond once in a while, you know. It's not like you have to keep up that rude facade of yours all the time. I am your friend when you're not being a jerk off."

Without even opening his eyes, he whispered, "I don't need friends," in a stale tone.

She snorted, glaring at him. "Oh, you think you're too good for us now? Is that it? Or maybe now that you're a better fighter than all the rest of us, you're going to move on and find stronger friends. Which is it, huh tough guy?"

That did provoke some action from him. He turned his head and opened his cold blue eyes to stare at her. "What makes you think either is the reason?" He then sat upright and bound his gi shirt closed. His bare feet found the floor, and he stood and walked over to where Mayako sat, stopping to glance down at her. "Just back off." He then started walking towards the door to her room.

Angered at such a quick dismissal, she stood, abandoning her shame to lunge and grab his arm. "I'll have you know-"

Rintaro's incredibly swift back kick cut her off as her instincts jump started an adrenalin rush, enabling her to dodge his foot as it skimmed her messy hair, but forcing her to release his arm. He recovered from the kick just as quickly, planting his foot out in front of him, then shot his other knee towards her stomach. Mayako jumped back across her room to avoid it, unable to say a thing as he opened the door and furiously stamped down the hall.

"Hey!" she yelled, a little too loudly for such an early morning, and then took off after him, stopping in the hall just in time to see him start walking down the stairs. Mayako blinked in confusion. She had actually struck a nerve with that? A display like that from Rintaro was like squeezing water from a rock. Turning her head, she spotted his pants still neatly folded on her desk. He had to have been very upset to not remember to pick them up before leaving. That, or he decided he was going to be a shame show-as if she could talk, entering the hall without her pants on.

"Wait up," she whispered, running down the hall to catch up with Rintaro.

Mayako found him by the koi pond, going through the motions of a very basic kata, on hyper-drive. His punches and kicks tore through the air at each interval, so quickly she could barely see his arms and legs.

"You didn't have to be such a dick," she told him, staying far enough back to not be in his way. "It's just that these last few years you've been keeping to yourself a lot, and shrugging us all off."

Cutting the kata off abruptly, Rintaro paused with his leg fully extended, and then turned it in the air towards her. After setting it down firmly, he stood facing her, not saying a thing.

"At least I know you heard me this time," Mayako said quietly, turning her head from his intense stare. "What happened to our leader, the guy who stuck up for his friends every time they needed help?"

"You don't need help anymore," he stated, sitting down cross- legged on the grass.

"Help isn't always physical," Mayako countered, walking up to kneel in front of him. The cold grass sent shivers up her bare leg. "Sometimes help can mean just listening when a friend needs to vent, or being a shoulder to cry on."

"No thanks," he said, turning his head. "I have my own problems to worry about."

"What happened to you, Rintaro Saotome?" she asked, resting her hands on her knees. "You were like my third brother ever since I knew you, and then you just wandered off one day. You don't realize how much that hurt. You used to be so cool. You even took that stupid engagement thing those old bags thought up that once without even flinching. Veins were bursting on my forehead, and you just laughed, like it was the funniest thing you'd ever heard."

"I grew up, okay?" he said defensively, putting his hands on the grass, nervously gripping handfuls. "None of you guys like me anyway. It's better for everyone if we keep our distance."

Clutching her arms around her legs to stave off the cold, Mayako shook her head. "It's only recently that they don't like you. It's because you've been such a cold ass to us. They'd all give you a second chance to hang with us again." Starting to shiver, she brought her knees up and held them to her chest. "Please, Rintaro? I miss little Rin-chan backing me up when we got into scuffs. Now I have to rely on Kenichi to get his pacifist ass into gear before we can fight, and he's more likely to try to talk us out of the fight. You always jumped with me at first chance. I miss that."

"You miss getting suspended over spilt milk?" he asked, with half amusement and half suspicion.

"Yeah," she replied, smiling through chattering teeth. When her adrenalin rush ran off, she certainly got cold all of the sudden.

"It's not like anyone challenges me now, anyway," Rintaro quipped, turning to face her. "They just bow and run the other way if they even come within ten feet of me."

"Not Jotaro Saito," Mayako said with a smile. "And the rest of his friends don't either when he's backing them."

"You can even take Saito," Rintaro shot back. "You can probably take any two of them on a good day."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she told him. "But Jotaro with anyone, even Shoji, could probably beat me. I'm a much better team fighter than I am at solo fights. That's where you used to come in."

"And what's wrong with Kenichi?" Rintaro asked, as if wary for some verbal trap. "You two always fought well together, better than you and I ever did."

"He's too serious about education and college, and that whole dull bit," Mayako complained, suddenly feeling very naked outside in the cold, across from a boy who was not dressed any more than she. His eyes were on her now, meeting hers with candid emotion, however mixed it appeared. He looked confused, like he stood on the line between friendship and being her enemy. She could not give up this chance to win him back to her side.

"Why aren't you?" Rintaro asked, almost rhetorically, as he stood. "School isn't something you can just mess around in, not with so many students all competing for the same jobs." He then walked up to her and offered his hand. Mayako could not refuse it, and he lifted her to her feet.

"I don't care about school," she firmly answered, releasing his hand. He smiled at her as she continued, "And neither should he. If he doesn't have fun once in a while, he'll become even more uptight than he already is."

It was one of those moments where Mayako had no clue whether Rintaro would kiss her or punch her. So far, his relatively good behavior was a little unnerving, but when he leaned forward, as if it whisper in her ear, or kiss her cheek, she had a sneaking feeling that he would choose the first one. Unfortunately, when his smile turned into a grin, she knew it was the second. Bringing her foot down hard, she managed to kick his foot before it struck her bare ankle.

As Mayako dropped back into a defensive stance, Rintaro merely chuckled. She regarded him curiously, still maintaining her defense.

"What's so funny?" she asked, wary of any more tricks.

"You saw right through me," he said, not even bothering to fall into his guard.

"Like glass," she agreed sarcastically, lunging with a punch. He dodged the attack rather slowly, and she caught a bit of his shoulder.

He groaned, taking a few cautious steps away from her. "No need to hit so hard. I'm rather sore already."

"You should have thought about that before you tried to kick me!" she exclaimed, charging at him. She was rather surprised when he did not move, and she smacked into him, knocking him to the ground. He looked up at her a little dazedly, and then started rubbing his head.

"That wasn't very nice," he told her, before wrapping one leg around hers, and using the other to trip her.

Mayako fell forward on top of him, elbowing him to stop her fall.

"Ack," Rintaro complained, and then tried to push her off, but she resisted, head-butting his chest. He coughed as the air was knocked from his lungs.

Resting her knees around him on the ground, she brought them inward, squeezing his sides quite hard.

When he caught his breath, Rintaro looked up at her passively. "I never knew you were into S&M, Mayako Tendou." He gasped again as she brought her knees into his sides again. "Christ, woman. Let go!"

"I thought we were having a nice little chat, and you go and ruin it!" she growled at him, holding his shoulders down with her hands. "Are you going to be my friend again, or do I have to beat you some more?"

He looked up at her, and she caught something in his face, something she had not expected: fear. It was as if for a split second, all the blood had suddenly drained from his face, and his eyes widened in surprise. Then, as if it had never happened, he regained his blank stare, and turned his head.

"Rintaro, I'm sorry!" Mayako released her pressure on his sides, and stared down at him with more than a little concern. "Did I hurt you?"

He responded by turning to glare at her, but still made no mood to knock her off him.

"Really, I didn't actually mean to hurt you," she said sadly, sitting back and removing her hands from her shoulders. She still sat on his stomach, but without threatening him. "Honestly, you're so tough, half the time punching you doesn't even get you to notice me."

Merely shrugging in reply, Rintaro stared up at her silently.

"If you are going to molest my sister, could you take it elsewhere, Rintaro?" Both Mayako and Rintaro turned to Kenichi's sudden appearance in surprise as he continued. "I'm trying to eat breakfast, and you're ruining my appetite."

Two and two clicked together, and she realized what a compromising situation she was in. Well actually, it only had to be one and one clicking together for that picture, but she jumped to her feet anyway, blushing furiously. Rintaro did not budge, keeping his head laid back on the cold grass.

"Aren't you cold, Mayako?" Kenichi asked, giving her legs a curious look. "Oh right, who needs pants when you've got Rintaro? Silly me."

The red of embarrassment quickly transformed into the red of anger. Mayako suddenly had the need to beat the hell out of her brother. But then again, she was a master of verbal fighting as well- at least she thought she was.

"Yeah, and who needs a blanket when you've got a naked redhead on top of you, right Kenichi?" Mayako added to level things out a bit. In spite of her, he just wagged his finger at her, and smiled.

"Hey, at least I didn't have to beat her up to get her in a position like that," Kenichi quipped, grinning smartly.

Oh, now she felt like beating him up again. But that would mean that he won their verbal sparring? No way, she swore that she would never lose to him in any match.

"Yeah, Rintaro beat her up for you," she said, tugging her shirt to completely cover her panties. Boy, it really was cold out there. At least Kenichi reeled a bit from that one.

"Well, my date isn't a brutal psychopath," Kenichi he challenged, putting his hands on his hips. He then added, "No offense, Rintaro."

"None taken," the tall young man, who now stood uncomfortably close behind her, said. She did not realize he had approached her until he had spoke. Sometimes it was a pain being in a family of martial artists.

Mayako turned with a wry face. "Thanks for the backup."

"No problem," Rintaro said. Obviously, her sarcasm did not get past him.

"I've had enough chatting for one day," Kenichi said, turning towards the house. "Really, running around in your panties, Mayako. You should be ashamed of yourself." He turned to her with a wink. "Next time try to wear more clothes. It must be forty degrees out here."

Mashing her teeth, Mayako watched him walk away and enter the house. At least anger made the cold go away, somewhat. Her legs were covered in goose bumps.

"Where were we?" Rintaro said suddenly, as Kenichi disappeared into the house.

"We weren't anywhere," Mayako said, clenching her fists. "You were getting your butt kicked, and I was done kicking your butt, and planning to go inside." She started for the door when he stopped her with a hand on his shoulder. Turning in askance, Mayako blinked.

"He is wrong about one thing," Rintaro said, leaving his hand on her.

"Oh, and what is that?" she asked, letting the impatience slip into her voice.

"I'm not brutal," he said with a grin.

Mayako chuckled as the two of them walked inside, and went back up to her room. Kenichi, for his part, was quiet about the whole mess, at least while they passed him at the table and walked into the hall.

When she entered the room, closing the door and locking it, Mayako gathered clean clothes from her dresser, ignoring the sounds of Rintaro slipping into his pants.

As he went to leave her room, she stopped him. "Rintaro?"

He did not even turn back, but paused at the door.

"Tell me something."

"What?" he asked, turning his head to face her.

"What are you going to do about your loss?"

He looked down at the ground for a moment, and then looked her in the eye again. "What you would do?"

Mayako contemplated that as she changed her clothes.

* * *

A bright face stared down at her, contrasted by long black hair. It looked terribly familiar, but she could not think straight. Strong, handsome features prominently set him apart from other faces she could recall, but it sparked no memories. Concentrating on anything was becoming increasingly difficult.

His lips moved, but she heard nothing. His eyes were wild, desperate, as if craving an answer only she knew. She tried to speak back, to tell him she could not hear him, but her lips uttered nothing, though she felt the air exhale from her mouth. Sadness crept over her like rust, slowly but surely. It tickled what sensations her body still felt.

Staring back at the young man's face, Kimiko started to remember, when he closed his eyes and gently pressed his lips to hers. It was an explosion of vitality that he gave her, and her eyes bulged with the recollection, feelings and sound.

"Listen," Kiyoshi whispered to her, his face so closed she could feel his hot breath on her cheek. "I don't think you have much time. The chi I gave you won't sustain you long, so I have to find out what is holding you here. I believe something has your body."

"What...meaning?" she asked with strain.

Kiyoshi quickly clasped his hand over her mouth. "Do not try to speak. You will only waste energy. You must meditate to the best of your ability, and conserve your strength. As I said, I am going to recover your body, and then I'm going to get us home." He lifted his hand, staring down at her for one more second before lowering her to the cold grass, and running off.

* * *

Deadly intent drove him across the blank landscape towards what he knew to be his destination. On the horizon, two shapes were locked in ferocious battle, like stags, fighting until one fell in exhaustion, or death. He knew neither of them, for no one in his acquaintance had such power. It was beyond human. It was that which brought him here.

With his entire focus on running, Kiyoshi cut the air like a knife, shredding reality with his speed. Never before had he been able to run as fast as he did then, coursing across the wasteland like jet fighter. He would not have been able to do so, but something enabled him here, as if his body no longer suffered the torment of physics.

As he slowed his mad dash, sudden fear filled his heart to the brim, spilling over into his legs. He fell, unable to stop his body in time as he flew headlong into the fray. With little time to react, he merely selected his target: Ryouga Hibiki.

Kiyoshi's new opponent only managed to turn his head in time to see the berserker frenzy in Kiyoshi's face. Barreling into him, Kiyoshi felt a sudden loss of balance as he continued soaring mere feet above the ground with Ryouga flinching under him. As if in space with nothing to stop their trajectory, Kiyoshi and Ryouga fought in motion.

Kiyoshi knew something was wrong with Ryouga's aura as he struck the man in the chest with a deluge of punches, rivaling Chestnut Fist speeds. Ryouga did not even flinch as he brought his arms in to block his chest, simply defending with a sinister glare.

"You will pay for interfering," the distorted voice calmly promised Kiyoshi. "I warned you, and now you shall die."

Black energy gathered around Ryouga's body as Kiyoshi pushed off him with his feet, sending him soaring into the sky. Arching his back, Kiyoshi flipped himself around, stopped in midair for a brief second, and then gravity found him once more, driving him towards the ground.

As he landed on his feet, Kiyoshi dodged a fiery, black blast of twisted chi by scant milliseconds. The energy stole the heat around his body as it ripped past him harmlessly.

"You are fast for a human," the distorted voice yelled. "But you are human, none-the-less."

"I've summoned and killed stronger demons than you before," Kiyoshi boasted, stalling to gather his strength.

"I am no demon," Ryouga replied, slowly walking towards him. "I am the blessing, the madness, the hatred. I am your worst nightmare, and your fantasy. I am forever, and yet I live from moment to moment, ready to kill all that oppose."

A spherical translucent shield of violent chi energy flickered to life around Kiyoshi as he brought his fists together. The energy swirled around him, humming like an engine.

"And you are knowledgeable!" The possessed man cried out with a laugh. "We shall see how strong you are." Kiyoshi watched as the black energy gathered in the palms of his opponent's hands. "DIE NOW!"

Another blast of the sickening energy shot towards Kiyoshi, but it disappeared as it struck the shield. Reeling back as if struck, he felt the tainted life force wash over him, then heard it reform behind him and continue past.

"Astounding!" The demon yelled, standing inches from the edge of the shield. "That is some trick. It really is too bad I can do that forever, is it not?"

With a half-hearted chuckle, Kiyoshi prepared his counterattack.

"Oh, so you think that this little shield will hold?" Ryouga challenged, walking around him. "You will not be so jovial as I crush your bones into pulp and gnaw on your meaty flesh while you watch."

"Is that so?" Kiyoshi asked with a grin. "What if I told you that I could finish you with one strike that you could not possible dodge? What would you say then, as your pathetic existence ends in this mockery of a world?"

"That I could not dodge?" The demon asked, suddenly intrigued. "You would have to drop your shield before that, and as soon as it fell, I would rip open your throat."

"That is where you are wrong," Kiyoshi said with a lot more confidence than he felt. In one more moment, his attack would be ready.

"Show me!" Ryouga demanded, disappearing to materialize just outside of Kiyoshi's defensive sphere, poised and ready for the attack.

"Spirit Lance!" Kiyoshi screamed, and the shield around him collapsed inwards. As the demon rushed forward, a violet lance formed in Kiyoshi's hands, and Ryouga impaled himself in his haste.

A horrific scream ripped from the Ryouga's lips almost at once, sending a wave of sound energy crashing through Kiyoshi, though he held his grip and pressed the chi weapon further into the demon. As his ears protested with a loud ringing, Kiyoshi stood his ground as Ryouga thrashed around on the point of his lance. "Does that taste good?" he asked of the dying beast. "How would you like more?" Concentrating against the violent fighting of Ryouga's body, Kiyoshi manipulated the weapon to expand outward, as if to create a shield again, coursing up through Ryouga, until it totally consumed him.

"You...are...dead..." the thing whispered one last time, before Ryouga's body fell through the lance, no longer afflicted by the spiritual weapon. Kiyoshi watched it hit the ground then lifelessly slump over. Before he had a chance to check Ryouga, the body vanished, leaving an imprint in the wet grass. Testing the empty space with his foot, Kiyoshi was not expecting an attack.

A blast of white energy punched Kiyoshi right in the back, sending him sprawling on the grass. Rolling straight forward, he quickly found his feet and spun in time to dodge a follow up blast, which cut by him like a bullet.

"What the hell?" Kiyoshi demanded, realizing the identity of his attacker.

"Hello Kiyoshi," Kimiko said in a voice that reinvented the meaning sinister. "You just blew an opportunity that I've been eagerly awaiting the past century and a half." Another pool of white energy gathered around her as spoke. "May she forgive me for this."

Taking a step back, Kiyoshi knew he could not summon his spirit shield a second time.

"Who are you?" he asked, hoping to stall her a few moments while he regenerated his strength.

"I am your darling sister, of course," the possessed girl said, hovering inches above the grass. "Who else would I be?"

"A vengeful spirit, perhaps?" Kiyoshi answered, suddenly in awe of the power Kimiko gathered. It was far beyond what he could draw in and live.

Waving a finger, Kimiko gave him no more time to recharge. The next bolt gathered in front of her like storm, spinning and shrieking around her hands. Simultaneously, the siblings released chi bolts, a white one meant to kill, and a blue one meant to deflect the other. In a bizarre twist, Kimiko's blast redirected itself around his and cut back towards him.

Two bolts struck two bodies. The white blast lifted Kiyoshi off the ground like a doll slapped by its owner, and he desperately fought to remain conscious while his world flipped and rolled in an uncontrolled spin. He crashed onto the earth, wishing for nothing more than a moment's rest. His body ached in a hundred places, but he willed himself to sit none-the-less.

Scanning for his sister, he saw Kimiko far across from him, lying face down on the grass.

"Playing so dangerously with her life?" the girl asked, her body still against the earth. Lifting up in spite of gravity, Kimiko hung a few feet in the air, her arms and legs limp.

"Damn you!" he cursed, thrusting his body up to stand.

Kimiko's body flipped over then righted itself, setting her down on her feet, though her legs were not supporting her. The way she stood looked as if she were being held upright, as if someone were behind her with their hands gripped around the back of her neck.

"I've already been damned!" she retorted, straightening out her torn clothing. "I spent many centuries in a watery grave, staring upwards at the ever changing sky, always knowing I would never escape. But I did, and now I want my revenge! You will not stand in the way of that when he appears before me once more, or you will die." Like a puppeteer bowing through the puppet, Kimiko bent at the waist, a final gesture before falling over in a heap.

He stood, frozen by her chilling words. In the time it took him to blink, he regained his senses and rushed to his sister's side, pressing his fingertips to her neck. Gulping in a panicked breath, he slid his hand down her bare arm, to her wrist and held it in his palm.

"What?" he asked himself as his arm started to shake. He understood as he saw her face, blue as the beautiful water sparkling in the middle of the grassy plain, like the blue of her eyes. Oxygen, part of the lifeblood, the staple of the brain-the house of the soul-faded. Cold as the lake, her wet skin felt dead to his warm, bruised fingers.

"Damn you, Jusenkyou!" Kiyoshi cursed as he tilted his sister's head back, drawing close. "Damn you, Seiichi!" Filling his lungs, he closed his mouth over the redhead's, forcing oxygen into her deprived lungs. He pulled back, shivering with rage and fear. "Damn you! Not like this! Not again!"

"You're forgetting something," an ice cool voice whispered in his head. "A body without a soul is a turnip, waiting to rot. Find and revive the soul and the body will remember life."

"Soul?" he asked, suddenly remembering how he entered this plane. "Please God, help me."

Scooping the lifeless redhead into his arms, Kiyoshi pulled his sister close to his body, resting her head against his chest. With every final ounce of energy remaining in his soul, he pushed off the ground and leapt towards his goal. Barely skimming the ground as he crossed the grass, he made his way to his goal.

Almost completely transparent, she lay as if dead, her arms crossed over chest, her legs stretched out together. Green grass stained the pink of her dress, the pale white of her skin, and even the red of her hair. Kiyoshi looked between the corpse in his hands and the faint image of his sister on the grass, then without another second passing, he joined them.

And as she began to cough, the world fell out from underneath him once more, and again he held onto her tightly. This time, she held him back. Finally, he allowed the sweet darkness to envelop him.

* * *

Suspended somewhere, beyond reality, is where I find myself again. Sometimes my cruel subconscious tortures me with horrible realities here. Other times, it slights me by ending pleasant ones. I never had trouble with sleep and dreams before, when everything was as it was supposed to have been. In the chaos, nothing could faze me. With no time to think, I never did. Once the chaos settled, perhaps I had too much time. That could be the reason I lost everything.

Or perhaps not. I always think here. My reality shapes this place, I find, as new characters are introduced to the drama of my mind. Kiyoshi, Amanda and Sally burned themselves into my dreams once I met them, and now I wonder if the twins, my new brothers and the rest of my new acquaintances will work there way here, to either tempt, harass or join me in my misery.

"Good afternoon, love," a voice from the abyss of the back of my eyelids greets.

I now sit cross-legged in a Japanese garden, perfectly proportionate, as my adopted father had preferred in his life. Though I never met him, I truly like his tastes. The immaculate grass on which I sit is cool against the bare skin of my legs, and as I look up, I know my reality has crept into my dreams again.

"Hello, Kenichi," I reply to the young man, standing to meet him. My sandals crunch as they move from grass to the gravel path that leads to the house. He wears the stripped blue shirt I bought for him around the time when we first met, and he still looks as handsome as he did wearing it then.

Passively, I realize it is going to be one of the dreams with memories I never experienced, and with circumstances not yet possible. Though, whether I would control myself in the dream was another matter. Sometimes I could gain it, and others I would have to just watch and see how the dream played out.

As I stand and greet him with a tight embrace, I know I will have little control over my body. I smell his clean skin, and pull deeper into his hug, sighing in complacence.

Who am I this time? I wonder to myself. Kenichi's future wife?

"How was your day?" he whispers into my ear before sliding back to look into my eyes. He smiles warmly as a reply begins to form in my mouth.

"Wonderful," I tell him, feeling an alien urge to hold him close again. "Michael and his sister both completed their tests with flying colors! I couldn't believe it when I saw them perform their katas. I couldn't have even matched the heart they put into it." The pride I feel for two people I have never met blossoms goose bumps on my arms.

Kenichi laughs, embraces me again, kissing my face sensually. I moan softly, sliding my hands across the flat of his back.

He pauses his caresses and whispers, "What can I say? You are a spectacular teacher, and the kids love you. They'd fly to the moon and back for you."

"I'm not that good," I reply. I draw away from him, turning my back.

"You're better," he says as he presses his body against my back, wrapping his arms around my waist. "You don't give yourself enough credit. Michael and Tanya were a tangle of arms and legs before you, and now they're up there with your best students."

"Well, maybe," I say, twisting in his arms to face him. "How was your day?"

Kenichi grins, then slides one hand up my arm and rests it on my shoulder. "I sold the rainbow...and the jumper!"

My mouth opens wide as he stands in front of me, smiling.

"No way!" I shout, practically hysterical. "Without my brother?"

He nods his head, bringing his other hand to rest on my shoulder, and then smirks. "You didn't think I could do it."

Laughing, I playfully slug his shoulder, extracting a chuckle from him. "I knew you would, but I didn't want to pump up your ego by saying so." He turns his head, looking towards the house, which I just begin to notice. It is a carbon copy of Nobukazu Nishiyama's house in California. The garden seems very similar, now that I think about it, but so many seem to be in America. This one probably has the same landscape artist as Nobukazu's.

"I think we should celebrate," Kenichi suggests as he looks into my eyes again with a wink.

"Like you need an excuse," I tease, taking a step backward. Turning around, I quickly leap over the grove of small trees and to the path on the other side. "But you'll have to catch me first!"

Listening to his feet, I know he is now running after me. Wondering about their references to celebrating, I wish only to close my eyes and go into a dreamless sleep. Even as I am fully in this world, I feel the distant pain from another, so faint that I wonder how my real body fairs. It is difficult to concentrate on other things than what my host feels: warmth, happiness and probably too much love for Kenichi.

Sliding to a halt as I approach the perimeter wall, I turn to face Kenichi. He stops a few feet from me.

"You'll have to beat me next," I tell him, dropping into a fighting stance.

Even in a dress shirt and pants, Kenichi fits the martial artist profile. I love the way he slowly adopts a stance, suggesting that his opponent is hardly worth his time of day, without even realizing it. I must have taught him that.

Like a choreographed maneuver straight out of a movie, I announce my spin kick with a showy twirl of my body, and the spin of my foot, telegraphing my move for Kenichi. Without fail, he pushes into me, stopping my kick mid-spin. My other leg is swept up into the air as he lifts me into his arms.

"I win," he whispers, walking across the gravel with me, his right arm supporting my upper back, and the other just below my rear.

"Round one of twenty," I reply slyly, slinging my left arm over his shoulder.

I may be a bit naive in many things, but I understand what they suggested in oh-so low tones, and I do not like it one bit. My host, on the other hand, feels the need to flood me with anticipation. Hoping the dream cuts to the end with both of us dressed, like a movie made during the production code of the early years in American film, I dread where Kenichi takes me. This is my phobia, being trapped, unable to control my own destiny, and is only second to my fear of cats, although I think they are the same, too.

My dreams have slowly become a trap for my consciousness, where any technique I learn is rendered useless. I have been raped and murdered; I have watched friends and family die right in front of my eyes, and I have literally lost myself, but I overcame those, realizing the conflict within myself tears me from within. I did not need the spiritual essence of a drowned victim of Jusenkyou to tell me that.

I learned the Blast Fist to compensate for my loss of strength, but what I accomplished through it was a back door out of situations that get out of my control. Here, within my dreams, there is no quick escape, eject or stop buttons, nor even a control pad. I am a scared child watching my father beat my mother. I am mute when I am asked to tell the court why they should not order my death by lethal injection. Ignored, taken for granted, imprisoned, I watch helpless, my legs and arms bound, a gag for my mouth, a spear through my heart, and yet I can hear and see perfectly.

Once more thrown into a pit of starving cats, I feel the madness creeping in. There is nothing I can do but cover my face during the perpetual wait for their ravenous frenzy to cease. Here they come again, the claws, the teeth, that horrible hissing, the one that I can always hear in the back of my head, the other me, the frightened little boy who begs for his father to let him out.

I am trapped again, but this time, no one can hear me scream.

Feeling the soft, silky covers against my legs brings me back to Kenichi and his lover. Lying still on the bed, I close my eyes as I feel his soft lips brush against my thighs. Warmth floods me as my heart races. He arouses a part of myself I can usually ignore, or put aside.

My host moans as Kenichi touches me, as if searching desperately, his warm, wet mouth caressing my body. I want to hate him, close my eyes, scream, or fight. Instead, I take his hand from my stomach and interlace our fingers, squeezing his hand to tell him of my pleasure.

As the wave of sensations of emotions deluge me, I try to concentrate, to find my center and block out everything, however impossible. Try as I might, I cannot help but enjoy it as my host forces her sensations on me, as Kenichi slides my shorts down to my knees.

Oh God! Find the center, my safe place, away from the cats, away from Kenichi, away from...no, please stop! Oh it is so cold now, as my garments are being removed. Oh God! It is dark. I hate myself for not being able to stop this. Please stop! Pleasure courses through me, not stopping, pain and pleasure, like one, wanting, hating, wanting, hating, too much...stop...stop...stop-stop-stop-stop!

"STOP!" I scream, shocked, my mind numb, confused at my own words. Her confusion, not my confusion, hers!

Then everything stops, leaving me breathless and aching. My vision clears as Kenichi sits upright, his back arching quickly as he draws close. My heart thumps so loudly in my chest, fear coursing like poison through my veins.

"What's wrong?" he asks, as confused as I. His eyes furrowed in concern as I breathe deeply, barely hearing him under the strain of somehow taking control from my captor.

"I-I don't know," I stutter, drawing my legs together, and pulling up the panties that had still clung to my ankles. As I cross my legs and shiver, I realize that I can fight back, end this nightmare, stop it all, stop him, stop the cats and wrest my dreams from everything that wishes to hurt me.

"Did I hurt you?" Kenichi asks, drawing the covers over my legs. "Please forgive me."

Shaking my head, I reply, "It wasn't you, Kenichi." I pull the comforter up to my shoulders, gripping my knees to my chest.

"What was it, then?" he demands, firmly resting his hand on my right shoulder. "Please tell me what is wrong."

"I don't know!" I scream back, knocking his hand off me. As my host starts to calm, I know it is my chance again, and try to seize Kenichi, to throw myself at him like a wild animal. I picture a cat in my mind, injecting terror into my heart. I conquered her with fear once; I can do it again.

"Jesus, are you all right?" he insists, but I feel my host starting to convulse already.

"No," I whine, but the damage is done. Instead of one, a dozen cats are now locked in my mind, two dozen, fifty, one hundred...

Mine.

An elbow strike to Kenichi's face warns him that I mean business, but as I try to follow through and grab for his neck, he seems to dissolve into the bed. Jumping to my feet, I catch the scent, a trail of fresh blood. My prey wants to be chased. I am only too happy to hunt him.

"This isn't funny!" the young man shouts from the doorway of the room, appearing as if he had been standing there the whole time. He holds his nose to stop the blood flow, but I want it to stream freely, everywhere. I want to break this toy.

Sanity sneaks up behind me, like a stream of cold water splashing across my back. She wants back in. She loves him. But I show her what is there: claws, blood, and darkness. She hides again.

I leap across the room at him, slashing with my claws. Missing his head as he throws himself back into the wall, they cut only air. Slash. Miss. Slash. Miss. He runs again, and I give chase. Wood floors give way to gravel, which then leads to grass.

"Nice kitty!" Kenichi yelps as I scratch his shoulder, missing my original target: his chest. "Kimiko, it's me! Please stop!" I have my prey against a wooden wall. He is stuck; he is mine. Mine. Mine. Mine!

As I swipe, meaning to knock him down, I miss. He ducks very low, throwing me off balance. I try to recover, but he throws his weight into me, hitting me so hard that I groan and fall back. I step across the grass as I stumble, and I began to regain my poise, my foot meets rock.

The pain wakens me some, but it is the coldness that arouses a sanity within me that brings her back, that brings me back. The blanket of water that rises up around my face, burning my eyes and filling my mouth, muffles Kenichi's cry to me. I hear his voice again as pain shoots through the back of my head, covering me in sheet of blackness that obscures my vision further.

Now I begin to drown, unable to move my limbs, sinking into the infernal darkness. The water is cold, but I no longer notice. I cannot help but wonder, why water? It has always been the source of my troubles, from Jusenkyou's pools, to the trigger of my curse, to my final imprisonment in another's body.

Under the water, unable to breathe, I cannot help but fight against the paralysis, to push through the dark cloud to air. A scream of utter frustration escapes my lips and the icy water fills my mouth. Gagging the liquid out, I know my time runs short, but do not even conceive of dying in the koi pond.

Frantically struggling against my weakness, I almost fail to realize the strong hands grabbing my shoulders. Kenichi, as warm as the sun itself, easily lifts me into his arms, so quickly that the sudden change in environment shocks me. The next moment, I convulse into a fit of coughs, unable control myself as the water I had swallowed spills from my lungs.

"Kimiko, are you all right? Oh God, you're blue."

Dazed and unable to answer him, I sink into his arms. The exhaustion of almost drowning in a pool the size of a Jacuzzi has drained me so that I can hardly remember anything past it. Kenichi lifts me for a second time, only he runs as quickly as he can, nearly breaking a glass coffee table in his haste.

He sits me on the end of his bed as I only numbly watch him, shivering so that my teeth chatter. With look of absolute terror, Kenichi quickly strips me of my wet clothing. A funny ringing noise like the hum of a television set, only much louder, fills my ears, as tendrils of pain shoot through my head.

"You didn't fall in the pond long enough for this," Kenichi protested as he lifted my naked body and carefully placed me under the thick comforter. "What is going on?" I listen to the sound of him disrobing as I clench myself for warmth, unable to process anything but the cold.

As he climbs into the bed, I feel his gloriously warmth, and the numbness begins to fade from my limbs as I wrap them around him. Clouds clear from my mind, and the fear returns. I was seconds from drowning before he saved me. I had been so positive that this was a dream, but now I wonder, am I only just now waking from the a long nightmare? This feels so real: Kenichi's warm skin against mine, the wet sheets and my aching head. I only want to sleep and rest my aching body, but I have to discover what is real, unless I should just fall back into another dream.

Kenichi is whispering in my ear, but I cannot understand what he is saying as the ringing in my ears blocks him out.

"Where am I, Kenichi?" I ask him, completely in control of my voice, though I can only whisper as faint as he had.

"You're home," he answers, stroking my back with his hands. "You're in bed with me. Do you...do you remember anything that happened before?"

I think for a moment.

"I think so."

His hot breath burns my chilled face as we lie in silence. I can feel the steady beat of his strong heart, even as mine begins to race, so close to someone, like lovers. I suppose that is what we are in this place. Though I do not like it, I feel ashamed for my earlier behavior. How can I not? Kenichi thought I was someone else, no more than I thought he was Akane twice. I guess I am guilty, but who would not be after using the Cat Fist against a friend.

Then again, who would have known I could utilize the unpredictable technique, and remember the subsequent events as well, even if this should only be a dream? It had felt more debilitating than alcohol, a complete surrender to whatever it was that drove my cat-self. Whatever had happened, it was my fault for using the Cat Fist, and Kenichi had not deserved it. My fight was and has always been with myself.

I blink, trying to clear the blur from my vision, and notice large brown eyes, ones he could not have gotten from anyone but Akane. They blink as I stare at him for an eternity. His serious face breaks into a weak smile, and then he takes his hand from around me and puts it on my head, brushing his fingers through my hair.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, closing my eyes.

He closes his eyes as he shakes his head, the smile lingering on his face. When he blinks his eyes open, they glitter with tears. I draw a breath to say something, but he speaks first, his voice relieved and a little bit unsteady.

"Don't be sorry," he said, lightly caressing my cheek with his hand. "I know you can't help it, but it's been so long since your last attack that I thought we'd put them behind us."

"Last attack?" I ask, not understanding.

He raises an eyebrow, as he answers, "Yeah, don't you remember?" I shake my head, and he continues. "Last year, a week before we were married, I had to get you down out of a tree." He pauses, pressing his palm to my forehead.

"We're married?" I whisper, more than a little shocked. Of course, the question was rhetorical, but Kenichi answers anyway.

"Yes, are you sure you feel okay?"

The fact that I begin to remember, like stream water gathering at a dam, slowly building to become a lake, is probably what begins to scare me more. Foreign memories fill in the blanks, and suddenly I remember waking in Kenichi's arms that warm day, certain that I was making the right choice to marry him. He had replaced Akane, not merely filling her position, but creating a new one for himself. I had found myself drawn to his charm, his immense heart, but most of all, his selfless love for me. Although I seem to remember that never happening, the longer I lie here, the more solid it becomes.

"I must have hit my head when I fell in the pond," I tell him, as I begin to doubt myself. I then turn onto my other side, facing away from him.

"I'll call the doctor in the morning," Kenichi says, and slides up against my back. Although we had been close before, I only now comprehend more, and feel every inch of him pressed to me. It sends my heart racing faster as he adjusts to the contours of my back, draping an arm around my waist.

Though I am still chilled, I wish he would stop. Although hard to think, I try to block his presence out completely, but it is simply impossible.

"You're tensing up again," he whispers, drawing back slightly. "I know something is still wrong, but I can't help you unless you tell me what that is."

I answer him with silence, unable to correctly answer his question verbally. How can you tell someone you are not the same person they fell asleep with the night before, when in reality, it is as close to a lie as possible? Remembering clearly, she did go to bed with him the night before, and the night before that, and on.

"Please, honey," he pleads with such hopelessness in his voice, that I can barely believe this is the same child I sparred with days earlier. "I love you so much that it hurts when everything isn't right. Please tell me what it is so that I can fix it."

I draw away from him, and then turn to face him. He does not attempt to snuggle against me again, as I prepare my reply. With one deep breath, I close my eyes and answer his despair. "You can't fix me. No hug, or kiss, or anything is going to make everything right. I don't even know where the hell we are, or how long I've lived here with you."

The hurt on his face is like red paint splashed against a white wall, so visible that I cringe at bringing it to him.

"We've lived here at your brother's house in Monterey for a year and a half," he says sadly, sliding his hand to rest in the space between us.

"When I woke today, I was in the garden, right before you came in, but it wasn't quite me. I didn't know what was wrong until we began to talk."

"When you asked me how my day was?" he asked, some of the sadness in his voice replaced by curiosity.

"No, when I told you about my day, but that's irrelevant. Whoever I was then, it wasn't me. I'm not who you think I am."

Without a trace of sarcasm, he asked, "Who are you, then?"

With a gulp, I say, "Ranma Saotome."

Kenichi shakes his head in protest, though the hand between us grips the bed sheets.

"Yes, I am," I insist, lightly resting a hand over his. With the truth at the tip of my tongue, I began to realize how badly I have wanted to tell someone other than Kiyoshi, the only other human that knows my secret.

"No, Kimiko," he says firmly, taking my hand in his. "Ranma is just a name, a name that you used once and have no need for any longer."

Had I been shocked before, I would have seemed normal compared to how I felt now. As if I had jumped from a building, my heart leapt and I felt disoriented.

"I already know who you were," he says with a look that speaks his yearning for me. "I can remember the day you told me as if it were yesterday, it's so clear in my head." He pauses, narrowing the distance between us slightly.

He knows, and yet he still married me? I could not quite believe that.

"We had wandered so far out after..." his voice seems to fade out, though his lips still move. I hear a few mumbled words in the midst of his story, so drained by the day, "...in the water...was so shocked...didn't care..."

The last thing I feel is his hand, firmly grasped in mine, and his absolute acceptance of me within my heart. Then, as the world just seems to melt away, I fall asleep once more.


	9. Part Three: Sayonara (2 of 8)

**Misery Loves Company**  
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Part Three: Sayonara  
(2 of 8)

Kiyoshi Nishiyama had not felt as sore and stiff as he did now since his transformation. After his physician from the United States had flown across the Pacific just to apply a cast on his arm for no other reason than to accumulate frequent flyer miles, he'd still had to deal with an itchy arm that might have been more bothersome than what came after. Being unable to scratch it was very maddening, and he could not take his mind off it.

After a visit by a half-dozen lawyers, a fleet of doctors and more than a few company guns, Kiyoshi had begun to feel exhausted as well. Entertaining them while injured had proven to be a difficult task. Fabricating a story to encompass everything that had happened to sate the lawyers had been even worse. Once he had convinced them that they did not need to press charges, he then had to reassure them that he did not need to prepare for any possible allegations of child abuse.

Although he did not think they would be so effortlessly persuaded, the police accepted his story much faster than the lawyers, as they only requested that Kimiko make a statement when she regained her health. As for the armed sentries outside the door of the private hospital room, Kiyoshi reluctantly agreed to allow their presence to keep the lawyers from having a fit. The compromise did purchase him a few hours to quietly watch over his injured sister without being disturbed, however.

With her brows furrowed, Kimiko squashed her angelic face in a pout, as she lay asleep on the bed provided by the hospital. He could not help noticing how cute she looked, twisted in the single sheet placed over her. With the lamp dimmed and the shades together, she seemed to glow in what little light filled the room. Although he could not help remembering the year he'd spent watching her in a coma, he took comfort in the fact that the doctors said she would wake after she had rested awhile.

Now, he was only left with his thoughts. The deeply disturbing place he had visited the night before gave him nightmares worse than the ones he had experienced after Jusenkyo. After fighting Ryouga, who had fought as if possessed by a monster, meeting Kimiko twice under completely different circumstances and nearly watching her die in his arms, he was ready for some all-knowing avatar to come and explain everything to him. The old soul Seiichi had not reappeared since before his flight to Japan, and did not seem to be answering anymore. Not a single memory of the hundred years he had remembered living packed in his head could explain that; he had no idea if anyone could, short of seeking out Cologne.

Resting his head against the back of the cool plastic chair beside Kimiko's hospital bed, Kiyoshi took a deep breath, sucking in air until he felt his chest burn under the strain of the attempt. He held it for a minute, savoring the growing ache in his chest. He then slowly exhaled. His body urged him to speed his release and quickly inhale, but he did it as slowly as he could, letting only a bit of air out at each short interval. When he finally began to breathe in again, the sweetness of it made him shudder slightly. He controlled his breathing like that for nearly an hour before Kimiko stirred.

When she woke up, she shot up so quickly that he coughed in surprise, and then began choking on the saliva he'd inhaled. As he brought his breathing under control again, he watched her carefully, planning to assess her mental state before engaging her in a conversation.

It mattered little when she turned her head and focused her eyes directly on him. The glint of the pale lamplight reflected off her sapphire blue irises as she blinked her eyes once.

"Where am I?" she asked nervously, glancing about the room.

Kiyoshi stood as he answered, "A private hospital room. Do you remember what happened?"

With a reflective frown, Kimiko bowed her head, staring into her lap. After a few seconds of absolute silence, she raised her head and shook it.

"What's the last thing you remember, then?" Kiyoshi asked, disappointed that she would probably not be able to shed much light on their experiences in the dream. He needed to talk about it in order to bury what had happened, rather than let it fester like an open wound. Perhaps she thought it to be a dream, and nothing more than that. _Did any of it really happen?_ _Could I have hallucinated the whole night?_ The only two things keeping him from answering in the affirmative were his broken arm, and his injured sister.

Her eyes sparkled and her mouth dropped open with some sudden realization, giving him a little hope. She stared through him, as if she were watching her memories on a screen behind him.

"Ryouga tried to drown me," she finally answered, drawing back to rest herself against the head of the bed. "I really didn't know how to approach him, so I just sort of started a fight. But he's very strong now." She paused, catching Kiyoshi's concerned look. "I'm all right though, aren't I? He didn't kill me after all."

"Right," Kiyoshi replied quietly, furrowing his brow. "Can you remember anything else?"

Looking at him puzzled, Kimiko slid across the bed to the sit on the side closest to him. "Why, do you know something you aren't telling me?"

"Only if dreams count," he told her, resting his uninjured arm on top of the cast. "You have to try and remember, because anything you may say could help us tremendously."

"I don't understand what you mean," Kimiko said sharply, apparently not liking his answer one bit. "And how did you break your arm? I've never even seen you with a stubbed toe before, let alone a broken bone."

"Your attacker is responsible for my injury as well," Kiyoshi said, concealing the truth from her.

"Oh jeez," she whispered, looking at him with wide eyes. "Is Ryouga in the hospital, too?"

"He disappeared right after our fight," he told her, relaxing in his chair. "I have a feeling that we won't be seeing him for a while."

Kimiko stared off into space, her expression confused.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out as you expected," Kiyoshi said, sitting up straight, preparing to stand. "What are you going to do about it?"

Looking up at him, Kimiko narrowed her eyes. "I don't think I ever want to see him again."

Pushing himself to his feet, Kiyoshi glanced down at her. "I'm surprised you don't want revenge."

She did not answer, and stared down at her feet poking up at the bottom of the hospital sheets. "Do you think you can get me something to drink?" she quietly asked, avoiding eye contact. "I'm really thirsty."

"Of course." Kiyoshi exited the room, pausing after closing the door behind him. He pressed his head against it, unable to get the picture of the Kimiko of that dream out of his head. Somehow the dream had been as real to him as every memory that he recalled from his old life.

* * *

After Kiyoshi left the room, Kimiko collapsed to the bed and her body seemed to sigh in relief. Every muscle in her body ached, and pretending otherwise had required enormous energy. Muscles she did not know existed burned with every wiggle of her body, but the fact that she was still breathing with all body parts intact was a tremendous relief.

"What happened to you, Ryouga Hibiki?" she asked of the empty room. A dull weight burdened her eyes as she tried to concentrate on the last moments of her fight, right before everything went black. She recalled the pressure around her neck, the few swallows of the putrid, cold water, but little more than images.

Before that, she remembered jogging through the park, the old man who had greeted her at the gate, the shadows, but not much else. She had dreamed about Akane, a memory gone awry. What else was there? Grilling her mind for more, a bead of pain began to develop in her forehead. _Nothing about any of this makes sense. Ryouga tho__ught I was some poltergeist taunting him._

Her thoughts cut off when the door opened and Kiyoshi entered, a glass of water in each hand. The light from the outside shone into the room, hurting her eyes. He quickly closed it with a push of his foot, and then walked to her bedside. There was a look in his eyes that she expected, stressing his concern for her well-being, but something else lurked there as well. She wondered what new skeletons he had added to his closet, and knew he was hiding something from her.

"Sorry for the wait," he whispered as he handed her the glass. She took it and took a few large gulps as he talked. "You wouldn't believe how many people I had to ask to find out where I could get some water."

She thanked him with a warm smile and set the glass on the counter next to the head of her bed.

"A doctor is probably going to check up on you in a few," he said, and then sipped his water. "When you were brought in, there might have been some serious injuries, but every test they ran on you showed up negative of whatever. This one really old doctor was still worried, though. I asked him what he thought could be wrong, but he just said 'Nothing, yet.' I honestly think you just need some rest."

"Yes, Doctor Nishiyama," she quipped, sticking her tongue out at him. "Any other orders?"

"Yeah," he said, setting his water on a table she could not see in the dark. "Think back to what happened after you went unconscious."

Taking a sip of her water, Kimiko looked at him with a raised brow. "But I just woke up."

Shaking his head, Kiyoshi appeared to close his eyes.

"You mean like dreams and stuff?" she asked suspiciously. She had never known him to be a big analytical dream person.

"And stuff," he said, adding to her curiosity. "Whenever you feel well enough, meditate on it. And don't give me that face, I'm being serious here."

"Sir, yes, sir!" she exclaimed with a mock salute that sent a lance of pain through her arm.

"Now go back to sleep."

She did not need any persuading to follow that order.

"What are you going to do in the meantime?" Kimiko asked, setting the glass of water down.

"I'm going to sit right here until morning," he answered, fighting a yawn. "And sleep if I can ever stop thinking about the itch under this stupid cast."

With a giggle, Kimiko lied back, her mind already beginning to drift. Hopefully tonight, she would not dream. Her eyes slowly slid shut as the darkness swallowed her.

* * *

Another day passed without word from her. Kenichi Tendou had come home from work, praying for a message from the redhead, but his mother had none to relay to him. He felt rejected and poured those feelings into his painting of her, the flame of his passion. Although the main body of the work had been finished already, he merely added touches of sadness: a sort of despair in her eyes that put tears in his.

He bit his lip as he began cleaning up the details of her clothes, which he had neglected until now. For almost twenty minutes he sat on his stool, working on the canvas until he finished it. Smiling sadly, he remained still, tired from his long day at work and from putting so much effort into one picture.

A knock at the door took his attention from the painting.

"Come in," he said.

His sister slinked in the room, her arms crossed over her chest, a disapproving look meeting his eyes. He could already tell Mayako meant to nag him until he left his room.

"What?" he asked as she closed the door, and then walked over to him.

"Nothing," she answered, turning her head away from him, pretending to examine his painted wall.

"You never bother me while I paint for nothing," he replied, resting his hands on his thighs.

"I was just bored," she said, turning to face him, and the painting. "You finished it?"

Kenichi nodded, standing up. He lifted the canvas from the easel and placed it atop his dresser, out of harm's way so that it could dry unmolested by the elements and nosey siblings.

"You make her look so sad, little brother," Mayako observed, walking up to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Why'd you do that?"

With a shrug of his shoulders, Kenichi left her touch behind for his bed, practically collapsing on it.

"Ah come on, Kenichi," she whined, pulling his stool to the side of the bed and sitting on it. "You can tell me anything. I promise I won't tell anyone anything you say."

He thought on his sister's apparent sincerity for a moment, not finding any holes in her speech to be suspicious about. The concern in her eyes, which he had mistaken for disapproval, became evident as she drew in close to him. He decided to lower his defenses, for now.

"I guess it's a combination of things," he told her, following that with a yawn. "When she's not absorbed in training, or talking with someone, she seems to get this look in her eyes. That's what I hoped to show. I don't know quite how to explain it, other than that it seems she puts on a show for us, and then retreats back to whatever sorrow she can't get away from. She just looks lost, and hopeless. You don't see that?"

"I guess I'm not looking as closely as you," Mayako replied, staring at her bare feet. She raised her head to face him and looked into his eyes. "Maybe you shouldn't either."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kenichi asked, his voice rising in suspicion as she sat up straight. "Why shouldn't I?"

"Her problems are none of our business," she answered, crossing her legs. "I think it's great that you really like her, but don't think that just because you hit it off so fast she's Miss Right or anything."

"Maybe she isn't perfect," Kenichi admitted, suddenly not liking where the conversation was headed and too tired to care what she thought. "But what I do isn't your business, either."

"Little brother," Mayako whined, giving him a full-on puppy-dog pout. "Everything you do is my business. I'm just trying looking out for you."

Disengaging himself from their conversation, Kenichi closed his eyes, and it felt as if lead had replaced his eyelids. His sister said something to him, but he ignored her and laid himself back on his bed. The dim light of his room shone down on him, but he ignored that as well, suddenly uninterested in anything but sleep.

"Okay, fine, be that way," Mayako told him, rising from the stool. He felt her lean over him and her hot breath as she whispered in his ear. "I'll try not to say 'I told you' when she leaves the country."

* * *

Kenichi's door clicked shut as Mayako softly closed it. She had not meant to put her brother on the defensive, and felt sorry about it. His sulking over the Nishiyama girl's disappearance from their lives, despite the fact that she had only just appeared in them, grated on her nerves. If she could not prepare him for her exit from the country, she knew his heart would break into a million pieces.

Downstairs, Mayako shuffled through a drawer and located a pad of paper and a pen, and then lifted the phone and dialed information.

"Information, what city, please?" a male operator asked.

"Tokyo," she told the operator.

"Prefect?"

"Tokyo city," she replied. "The Hilton."

"Which one, ma'am?"

Which one? Mayako thought back to her trip to the hotel, but could not remember much in the way of the roads they had taken. It had been dark and they passed countless stoplights.

"All of them," she answered.

"One moment, please."

She held onto the receiver for a moment, staring at the wall, and then received three different numbers and wrote them on a notepad. She thanked the operator, and then hung up.

"Okay, Kimiko Nishiyama, where are you?" she asked of empty room.

Dialing the first number, she watched as her mother entered the room with Eiji on her shoulders. The little boy was jabbering about something to do with plants. Mayako glared at the munchkin, whose voice cut through the air like a blade. Akane quickly shushed him with an over-exaggerated motion of putting her finger to her lips and squashing her face like a duck's. Eiji copied his mother as a man on the other line picked up.

"Thank you for calling the Hilton, Tatsuyama speaking, how can I direct your call?"

"I'm calling for Kimiko Nishiyama," she told the person, and then watched her brother pretend to zip his mouth shut and throw away the key. She repressed a giggle as he almost fell from the moment of the key throwing.

"I'm sorry, there is no listing for a guest under that name. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Mayako thought. The room might be under Kiyoshi's name.

"How about a Kiyoshi Nishiyama?" she asked, holding in her breath.

"Hold one moment, please," the person said.

"Mayako, tomorrow I need you to go into town for me," her mother said, placing Eiji on the floor. Akane approached her daughter, whispering her request. "Your grandfather needs a few dress shirts, and..."

"May I ask your name, please?"

"Mayako Tendou," she said, speaking more loudly than she needed.

Her mother continued as boring classic rock played on the phone, "...a new tie. Also, ask Kenichi if he needs any dress clothes, not his school or work clothes, mind you. I want him to look nice for the dinner we're going to tomorrow night. Oh yes, pick something for yourself, too. I'll leave the money on the table for you after I make breakfast.

"Am I forgetting anything?"

"Yes, that I'm on the phone," Mayako said dryly.

"Oh, right, we're having dinner with the Nishiyamas tomorrow night. I forgot to tell you."

Mayako blankly stared at the woman, and then shook her head. As her mother scooped up Eiji, who had been stumbling around the kitchen, searching for the imaginary key, so he could unlock the imaginary zipper, the man on the phone said he would patch her through to Kiyoshi.

Suddenly, her heart started to pound in her chest. Not realizing that she had asked for Kiyoshi, she now had to speak to the god-like man without a chance to prepare herself. She almost squeaked when he answered.

"Hello?" Kiyoshi answered, his voice weary.

"Hi," she answered back, dumbly.

"What can I do for you, Mayako?" he asked, his voice a bit more cheery.

Unable to answer, she tried hard to say his sister's name, but nothing came out. When she heard a chuckle from the other end, he said, "I'll put her on."

Sighing in relief, she began to wonder if her cheeks were burning red. They certainly felt like it.

"Hi, Mayako." Kimiko's light voice sounded in stark opposition to her brother's deep, manly voice.

"Hi, Kimiko," Mayako said, feeling her confidence levels begin to level rise back into place. "How are you feeling?"

There was a slight pause on the other end, but Kimiko answered. "I'm okay, just tired."

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Mayako asked, furrowing her brows.

"No, no," Kimiko replied, shuffling something on the other end of the line. "I was just resting."

"Good," Mayako said, sitting on the counter. Then once again, Mayako realized she had no clue what she was going to ask. She had called intending to ask many things, such as asking Kimiko of her intentions towards Kenichi, but that would be inappropriate. Plus, the phone was an impersonal way to talk about matters of the heart. She needed to talk to the girl in person.

Then inspiration struck her.

"I just called to see if you'd like to go shopping with me tomorrow afternoon," Mayako stated, watching her mother exit the room. Kimiko stayed silent for a moment, though she heard something in the background click. "I mean, if you have other things to do, that's okay."

"No," Kimiko answered. "I'm free tomorrow. Where would you like to meet?"

"Why don't you come here?" Mayako proposed, twirling her bangs with her finger. "At say, ten or eleven? I'll show you around. We can have lunch in the city, and check out a lot of cool stores. Not the massive malls like you have in the U.S., but real specialty shops. Sound okay?"

"Sure," Mayako heard the reply. "Is Kenichi coming?"

"No, just to two of us," Mayako replied quickly. She thought for a second, and then decided to play a hand. "Unless you want him to come?"

"Oh, no, I mean, I don't mind if he comes," Kimiko verbally stumbled. "What about Mai or Reiko?"

"Mai works tomorrow, it's Tuesday; and you do not want to shop with Reiko. She will get you to spend all your money on her, and you won't even realize it until you open your purse and realize it's empty."

Kimiko's laughter loudly echoed on the phone.

"So I'll see you here at ten?"

"I'll be there."

Mayako hung up with a satisfied smile on her face.

* * *

An engine growled somewhere down the street from the plain house. The young man stood at his porch, one arm extended and level with his face, and the other clutched at his hip putting him in a defensive stance. He tried to ignore it, to lose himself in the kata he had been performing for two hours on his small porch, but he had not been able to keep his mental balance. While his body betrayed none of this, he felt himself lost, somewhere else. The engine's roar merely represented everything in his life he could not change, no more so than the sun's ascent in the sky as it began the morning so brightly.

His mother had approached him an hour before, but he had ignored her at the time, trying to find himself in the Art. Something had been on her mind, he realized now, something she had wished to discuss. His mother had rarely even talked to him in the past few years, for which he assumed she was disappointed in him. It had always been like that between them, though, for he always seemed to live in the shadow of a shadow, an heir to a non-existent legacy of perfection in body, mind, soul and the Art.

Rintaro Saotome hated his family, not because they mistreated him, not because his father had the tendency to hurt him, and definitely not because he could never please them. Everything he hated about them reflected exactly opposite in the Tendous: their love, closeness and charity towards one another. He did not hate his family because they were not the Tendous; he hated them because he was not a Tendou.

Reasoning like that did not make much sense, even to himself. He felt as if somehow he was a mistake, and that he belonged somewhere else.

"Rintaro?"

This time, he stopped at the sound of his mother's empty voice, and turned to face her, a neutral expression on his face. She stood in the doorway.

"Yes, mother?" he asked, correcting his posture to stand straight and stare her in the eyes, his back arched slightly, his head cocking slightly to the right.

"You are distracted, my son," she said, something in her voice resonating as she said the word 'my.'

Even his mother could recognize the tear in his heart now. He had to be slipping. In silence, he stood. He would wait for her to come to the point so that he could train somewhere else, away from the engine, away from the oppression of his family.

"Please tell me what troubles you," she said simply, expressing about as much emotion as he showed her, making the request almost as silly as he felt it to be. But if she really wanted to know, he had little reason to hide it.

"You are aware of my loss to the daughter of Nishiyama-san," he stated, remaining as still as a cat watching its prey.

"Defeat is merely a stepping stone, not a finale," Nodoka sagely replied.

"Is it really?" he patronized, reflexively tightening the knot of his belt.

She placed her hands on her hips, a warning to behave himself. "But of course you know that, coming as far as you have in your training. So I will ask you again what bothers you."

Withholding another smart remark, Rintaro looked away from his mother. "Why do you care what it is?"

A bit of hurt surfaced in his mother's brown eyes as she looked at him. He could almost read her pain from her eyes. _How could you not know my feelings for you?_ they seemed to ask. "Why do you push us away, Rintaro?" she did ask, looking away from her son.

"I'm not the one who did the pushing," he replied coolly, turning away from her, towards the gate at the edge of the porch. "A few years ago, I might have welcomed you into my life and my affairs, but you were deaf then, as you are blind now."

* * *

Nodoka Saotome helplessly watched as her son continued his training, rougher than before, full of anger. He was the son she swore she would never allow out of her household, to raise him properly and carefully. This child had been her life, until she realized the imbalance of this, far too late.

Her oldest son was a nightmare even to himself, and her husband was a bitter old man, forever lost with their first child, having never found anything but scorn from his wife for years of neglect. Rintaro was as gifted as Ranma, but he lacked the heart. In the year she had come to know her first child, she recognized the generosity of his spirit, and accepted him immediately, with all of his flaws attached. This was the same spirit that Rintaro did not have.

Entering the house, Nodoka untied her hair, letting it fall to her waist. Although it had started graying years ago, it still contained the tinge of red from her childhood. She stared at the lock of hair in her hands, and then let it fall back to her waist.

On Monday, Genma had been so excited that he'd actually taken her out to dinner. It had been nothing fancy, but the mere thought that anything could bring them together without any of the hardships of their years of separation being brought up during their date left her with a warmth in her heart. He had told her then that he suspected that the child Kiyoshi Nishiyama brought with him could possibly be the daughter of their most beloved first son.

Looking at Rintaro through the kitchen window that had a view the patio, Nodoka wished some of Genma's renewal of spirit could affect the heart of her treasured son.

Attending to the breakfast she was preparing, Nodoka barely noticed her youngest son, Shintaro, enter the room.

"That smells good, mommy," he said softly, smiling sweetly.

"Thank you, sweetness," she replied, happy that one member of the family still had heart enough to share. It was truly too bad he did not have Rintaro's ambition, because then he would have been perfect.

Rintaro stopped his kata and approached the kitchen window.

"I'm leaving," Rintaro called from outside.

"What about breakfast?" she futilely yelled back, but he had already turned without a reply and was making his way out of the residence.

* * *

After arguing with his mother, Rintaro had left through the gate, but instead of leaving, he immediately turned around the side of his house and climbed the wall. He quickly sneaked through the open window of the bedroom he shared with his brother, who had just entered the kitchen. He located a pair of worn tennis shoes and slipped into them.

Once he had left the premises, he quickened his pace, eager to be away from his house. It was still fairly early morning and he had yet to eat, so he decided to go to Ucchan's. His Aunt Shampoo would be there this early in the morning, and Rintaro did not mind her as much as he did her children. Mai was much too hyper a lot of the time, and way too sad the rest, while Ryosei's lecherous tendencies and pure spite for Rintaro were enough to draw the line at hanging out with him.

A few customers entered the restaurant before Rintaro, a few teenage girls that he thought he recognized from Furinkan High School. Except for the three that had entered before him, the place was practically empty. Rintaro slowly pulled the glass door open and entered.

Mai sat on a stool, talking with the girls that had entered. Wearing the usual Ucchan's getup—a white blouse, blue skirt and an apron—she swung her feet like a child as she chatted merrily, completely missing Rintaro's entrance. Preferring to keep it that way until Shampoo made an appearance, he found an empty booth at the back of the restaurant.

Slipping out of view, Rintaro stayed perfectly still, resting his head on the back of his headrest. Closing his eyes, he ignored the girl's mundane chatter. He sat there for a few moments, wondering what he could do that day. Although he still ached from his fight, he wished he could somehow sit Kimiko Nishiyama down and get a million yen worth of her thoughts. He had spent the last couple of days since then focusing all of his attention on his memory of the event. Bits and pieces blurred together after he had lost consciousness, but for the most part, it remained intact.

At first she had performed quite ineptly, sluggishly responding and nervously retaliating. What Kimiko had done after that simply took the words out of his mouth. She opposed his every move as if they had trained under the same master, with two major differences. Rintaro was in much better physical condition, and yet she was ten times his match in speed and skill. Her tactics changed as often as he altered his, turning the friendly match into a duel. He had been so eager to test her that he had completely forgotten that he could lose.

One after another, they had traded blows. The fight raged in his head again, his victories, and then hers. Then something struck him. He knew something had been funny when she'd countered his "Dead Man's Takedown," but it had completely slipped his mind until now. How had she known its counter? How?

Then other irregularities began appearing. Something very odd about her entire networked style mirrored his incredibly. Combination after combination became increasingly familiar to him as he thought about it. It had been obvious before that she had been versed in the Anything-Goes style, but the he only just began to grasp how well. Although very modified, her style was Anything-Goes _**in**_ at its core.

"Mind if I join you, Rintaro-kun?" Shampoo asked, unnoticed by him until she was already sliding into the seat across from him. She looked exactly the same as she always did, except somehow even more beautiful, moving with as much grace as she did in her cursed form.

"Not at all," he said as she rested directly in front of him. Her genuine smile unsettled him a bit and he looked over at her daughter, who happily served her friends at the grill.

"I told Mai to make you some breakfast okonomiyaki," Shampoo said softly, resting her chin on her clasped knuckles. He looked into her brown yet almost maroon-colored eyes, not giving up an inch in his stare.

"How are you, Auntie?" he asked, not dropping his eyes from hers. She blinked slowly, and then smiled.

"I am very well," she said warmly, patting his left hand with both of hers. She left them on top of his as she stared into his eyes, squinting ever so slightly. "You know I will always listen if you want to talk."

Rintaro looked down at her hands, still soft and smooth, her trimmed nails cut short, but colored to match her hair. The heat from her hands radiated down to his cold ones, sending a chill up his spine. He could feel her eyes examining him so closely, finding everything without even needing to hear his voice. His heart still managed to skip a beat.

"I know," he replied, staring at his lap. "I think that's why I'm here."

As he looked up, she nodded, her eyes unchanged and yet somehow more comforting and less judgmental than before. She related a silent message to him: _I understand._

"Ah, here comes your breakfast," she whispered as Mai walked from around the counter. The girl held the tray with the food and a mug of steaming tea balanced in one hand as she approached.

"One breakfast special and tea," Mai announced, her voice flatter than usual as she looked at Rintaro, somehow accusing him of something. "Good morning to you, Rintaro-san."

"Good morning, Mai-chan," he said as nicely as he could muster without sounding fake. "Thank you."

She looked vaguely surprised as she walked back to her position.

"I don't know who I am anymore," Rintaro said after Mai had left earshot, his voice very low.

Lying back against the parlor's cushions, Shampoo listened earnestly, not speaking a word. He had only talked to her like a few times before, about personal matters he no longer remembered much about.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," he said, trying to figure out what he was going to say. It had all seemed so much easier, thinking that he would simply unload his feelings then go back to kicking ass. When it came down to it, was that what he wanted?

Right about this point, his mother would have said something like, "Thinking is good as long as you are not over-thinking. Considering a matter too much with too little action is for cowards, those who avoid conflict by never deciding. But considering too little is for fools and vagabonds. Find your balance." Then he would have been too angry to talk anymore by her over-simplifying everything.

"When I was younger, I didn't think about it," he continued. "Then for a while, I tried hard to create myself from scratch, to be who I wanted to be." He paused, scratching his forehead. "Am I making any sense?"

"Yes," Shampoo answered with a slight nod. "Go on."

"Well, last Sunday, before we all got together, I was so angry. I kept mulling everything over in my head, and I wanted to make everyone else as miserable as I felt." Rintaro bowed his head, closing his eyes as he the words came to his mouth. "Everything bad inside me was building up and up and up, and I felt like I was going to snap. Then when I got there, I met that redheaded girl."

When Rintaro looked up, the expression in Shampoo's face was different, a slight color in her cheeks. Stumped, he did not understand that reaction to his words, and so he continued on. "For the few minutes that the fight lasted, I felt alive, free, and I didn't think about anything except the fight."

The confusing look on her face changed as she smiled slightly, recognition that she felt the same.

"I woke up in Mayako's bedroom," he whispered, looking over at young Mai as she chatted with her friends. "And everything was different. My head was clear for the first time in so long. Everyone looked different, and I felt strangely good. I mean, I technically lost a fight, but I didn't care." The slight smile turned into a comfortable one as Shampoo listened to his words, giving her attention to no one but him.

"That whole day, my training was perfect. I was sore, but it was as if everything was in place. I harnessed my chi as if it was solid and I could hold in my hands. And then, the next day, I was myself again. I saw everything in the same light, the age-old decay that's everywhere that disappeared for a day. I kept thinking all those same thoughts, all that anger.

"I don't want to do it all over again, Auntie," he said with a sigh, pressing his head into his hands. "I'm tired of hating everyone. I'm tired of being alone here."

Shampoo sat in silence for a moment, her eyes still on him as they had been since he'd started talking. He wanted to reach out and take her hand, to feel its warmth again, to know she was really there, but he held himself back.

"You have never been alone," she began, a faint touch of her Chinese accent sweet on her breath. "That day you saw clearly, you saw us there. When you went home and woke up the next day, you closed your eyes again. But you are here now, and Auntie is here now, too. You have made one step, and _**if**_ only you can take the next. I cannot make it for you."

Trying as hard as he could, he tried to understand, tried to take that second step, but nothing came to him. He looked up, pleading with his eyes. Where would this take him? He had sought clarity when he'd entered the restaurant, and he wanted to take that step so badly.

"Your Auntie thinks you are trying too hard," she said in reply to his silence. "Why not take very small steps?"

"I don't understand," he whispered, looking down at the meal in front of him. His tea still steamed and the aroma of the okonomiyaki, he realized, had been making his mouth water for a few minutes now.

"Yes, you do," she said, beginning to slide out from the parlor table.

Small steps, he thought. Taking the chopsticks at his plate, he took a bite of his food. Even he had to take bigger steps than that, he knew, as he savored the flavor.

"Auntie," he said as she stood up straight. She stopped as he slid out from the table as well. "Thank you." He bowed as low as he could.

His heartbeat quickened when he felt her fingers touch his cheek. Lifting him from his bow, she very lightly pressed her lips to his forehead, and then released him. Straightening his back, he looked at her in wonder.

"Thank you," she replied, putting her small hand on his shoulder. "You eat now, and if you have more to talk about, I am always here. I, too, must take my next step and serve my customers."

As she walked around the counter, he realized a smile had comfortably planted itself on his face. He let it remain as he ate his breakfast, allowing the steady chatter of Shampoo's customers to drown out his thoughts.

* * *

A warm summer breeze, so late after the cold spring, lightly kissed his exposed skin, as Kenichi lay asleep. A smile touched his lips as he groped with his hands for the covers of his bed, but found them nowhere. Someone spoke, her voice so light that he did not realize that it addressed him until he heard his name.

"Kenichi, wake up," his mother's voice chimed over him as he struggled to awake completely. "Your alarm has been ringing for five minutes. Wake up."

His eyes slowly opened and he saw his mother's shining smile.

"Morning, honey," she greeted, and then he watched her walk to his window and open the shades, flooding the room with the bright morning sun.

"Ack," he groaned, sitting up against his own wishes. Morning fog clouded his brain and he could not even remember the day. "What's today?"

"Wednesday," Akane said as she opened his closet. "Go take a bath. Your sister and her friend are finishing breakfast as we speak, so you might want to hurry while it's still warm."

Kenichi yawned. He had to work today. Nothing could put a funk into any morning easier than knowing you have to work.

A thought entered his mind. "A friend?" He looked at his mother with an odd expression.

"Yes, Kimiko Nishiyama is going shopping with Mayako today, and she came a bit earlier than expected." His mother smiled, shifting through the shirts in his closet. "She's such a nice girl."

"Uh-huh," Kenichi replied, sliding his feet over the side of the bed and planting them on the floor. "How soon are they leaving?"

"I'm not sure," she answered, taking out one of his work shirts. "I'll set all of your clothes out. Why don't you go take a bath now?"

"Okay," he said, rushing out his door and downstairs towards the bathroom.

He paused at the door to the dining room, peeked in, and took in the sight of his heart's desire. The two girls sat with their backs toward him. His sister, still eating breakfast, laughed about something as Kimiko sat with Eiji on her lap. He still wore his Sailor Moon 4200 pajamas, kicking his legs out over and over.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Kimiko asked of Eiji as his little arms grabbed for a cup.

"I want to be like big brother!" Eiji exclaimed before he drank from the cup.

"You want to be a dope, too?" Mayako said with a laugh.

"He'll beat you up for saying that, big sister!" he said between sips cheerfully.

"If he ever wakes up," Mayako commented smugly.

Kenichi held his tongue as he began to walk towards the bathroom, a small smile on his face.

"I'm glad you look up to your big brother, Eiji-chan," Kimiko said just before Kenichi walked out of earshot. Stopping in his tracks, he walked back to the door, just out of view.

"Oh really?" Mayako said with a giggle.

"Sure," Kimiko said warmly. "Kenichi's a fine role model for this little goblin."

"I'm not a goblin!" Eiji shouted, his little voice piercing Kenichi's straining ears. "I'm a martial artist and I challenge you!"

"Better put down your water first, silly head," Mayako said.

"I accept, goblin-san," Kimiko replied.

With a wide smile, Kenichi walked to the bathroom, changing the sign outside the bathroom door from "Available" to "Occupied." He undressed and threw his undershirt and boxers into the dirty clothes hamper. With a yawn, he stretched his stiff muscles.

Quickly he entered the bathing room and slid the door closed, noticing the floor covered in watery footprints.

"What a slob," he muttered, knowing his sister to be behind the mess. With a towel from the dirty clothes hamper, he quickly mopped up the water before starting a bath. His mother quickly entered as he returned the towel to the dirty hamper, dropping off his clothes and his work shoes, nicely polished. Warm water coursed into the large basin, and he let it fill halfway, in order to save on water.

As he tested the water with his fingers he heard the door to the bathroom open.

"Kenichi?" a male voice asked.

"What? Who's there?"

Whoever had entered the room ignored his question, closing the door and by the sounds of it, had begun undressing.

"Grandfather?" he asked, though he could have sworn his grandfather would be still asleep. The old man liked to rest until at least nine in the morning. His clock had read eight-twenty when he had exited his room.

"Wrong," the man said again. "Think of someone ten times more intelligent than you, ten times stronger and ten times better looking."

With that tone of voice, it could be none other than Rintaro Saotome.

"So intelligent that you couldn't find the bath at your own home, Saotome?" he asked. The door slid open in response, revealing a Rintaro. He frowned in disdain as he entered, closing the door behind him.

"I assume your sister bathed before you," he stated, as he approached the bath. "You really should beat her until she cleans up after herself."

Kenichi turned and began to add more water into the tub. "What'd I miss?" He turned back to Rintaro who entered the shower quickly, turning on the water.

"Besides the smell of her?" Rintaro quipped with a smirk Kenichi imagined to be on his face. "There were some clearly feminine items carelessly left in the linen room."

Kenichi soaked in silence as the sound of the shower drowned any other noise Rintaro made. Sometimes a friend, sometimes a foe, Rintaro always presented himself as a cynically arrogant person with little to no manners. He could not imagine entering someone else's bath without even bothering to ask.

When the shower turned off, Kenichi asked, "What brings you here, anyway?"

"Your mother insisted I bathe before I go with your sister and your girlfriend to the city," he answered as he toweled off.

"How'd you get lured into that?" Kenichi wondered aloud.

Rintaro answered with silence. Kenichi turned to see him gazing at himself in the mirror.

"My mom," Kenichi answered for him. Rintaro only listened to a handful of people without question: mothers, excluding his own. Kenichi's always acted extra nice to the teen, but Kenichi could never figure out why.

"Smart boy," Rintaro said dryly as he slid the door open, exited and then closed it behind him. "Mind if I borrow some of your clothes?"

"No, go ahead," Kenichi replied, deciding he'd better hurry if he wanted to see Kimiko before she left. After grabbing a towel, he started to dry himself off when he began to hear Rintaro dress. "Hey, there's a spare set of clothes there?"

"No," Rintaro said cynically.

Sliding the door to the linen room open, he saw Rintaro begin open the door to the hall, dressed in his work clothes.

"Hey!" Kenichi exclaimed, losing his towel somewhere between jumping to catch Rintaro and missing him. Losing his balance on the slippery wooden floor of the hall, Kenichi caught himself on the wall opposing the door. "Come back here, Rintaro!"

Almost running into his sister, Rintaro slipped past her, chuckling.

"He took my clothes," Kenichi said, his cheeks steaming with anger.

"I can tell," Mayako said with a giggle, quickly glancing down to motion towards his lack of towel.

As one can imagine, the source of her laughter caused more steam to redden his cheeks. He fled to the bathroom quickly, grabbing his towel. As he did so, he noticed that Rintaro had left his work shoes. At least he had that much tact.

"So, hot water causes some shrinkage, too?"

With a towel firmly wrapped around him and clenched tightly with his right hand, and his shoes in the left, Kenichi gathered as much dignity as he could, pushing past her and sneaking down the hall, but he was stopped by the sight of two people there.

To his horror, Kimiko stood in the hall, talking to Rintaro. She turned and smiled, her lips hiding more than a bit of mirth. She looked different today, as if more relaxed. Unlike the very sexy red dress she'd had on when he first saw her, or the other times when she wore sweats, she somehow seemed happier in a miniskirt and a midriff-exposing sleeveless blouse, showing much of her tanned, beautiful skin. He could not resist following her skin with his eyes, from her tennis shoes to the thighs, and then to her trim stomach, jumping to her face (the area between would have almost certainly caused a nosebleed).

He almost did not give Rintaro a second glance as the older boy stood wearing Kenichi's tan collared shirt and black slacks, although the guy did seem to stand taller in it.

"Yes, I am that good." Rintaro spoke with a wry grin as he watched Kenichi. "I took the clothes right off him, then dressed before he even had a chance to notice."

"Uh-huh," Kimiko replied dryly.

Flashing Rintaro an obviously fake smile, Kenichi walked past them without comment, though he did meet Kimiko's eyes a moment before she looked away with a slight flush to her cheeks. He wondered what it meant as he passed them in the hall.

"That's easy," Mayako said to Rintaro from behind Kenichi. "I bet you Kimiko here could do that, then get Kenichi to thank her for it."

Kenichi listened to their laughter as he exited, though he did not hear much more than a hiccup of a laugh from Kimiko. He wished he could go back and drink in the sight of her again.

After finding another outfit in his room, Kenichi heard voices outside, and decided at least to watch them leave. He slipped into the shirt and pants, and then ran back downstairs with his shoes and socks in his hands. He turned the corner on the stairs at full speed, not expecting anyone to be there.

The moment he ran into Kimiko, he did not even know what had hit him.

* * *

With a cry of surprise, Kimiko tried to step aside from Kenichi's path, but she reacted too late and he crashed into her at full speed. His shoulder caught her as she angled sidewise, knocking her around to face him. She fell after him as they stared at one another, and sudden panic filled his face. The weight of her body violently slammed into Kenichi as they struck the middle of the stairs. Instinctively, she tried to pull him to her in order to absorb the damage herself, but Kenichi had a better grip and twisted her above him right before they hit the first steps. With his arms encircling her, he protected her as they bounced slightly, and then slid down the remaining stairs to the bottom, where they stopped.

Stunned as she lay out flat on top of Kenichi, Kimiko stared dazedly at the floor just above his shoulder. He did not stir as she tried to regain her focus.

"Are you okay?" she managed to ask, pushing herself up to sit on his lap. His eyes were closed. "Kenichi?"

"I'm okay," he stated after a moment, rolling his eyelids open. He blinked several times as his pupils dilated.

Looking over him a moment to the door, she expected someone to come in and pronounce "Ranma, you idiot!" right before punching her in the cheek. Instead of obeying her instinct, she looked into his eyes. They focused on her as his brows furrowed.

"You sure?" she asked him. "You look a little out of it."

"I'm actually fine," he told her, placing his hands on her hips. "Not that I'm suggesting you move, but the only reason I haven't gotten back up is because a certain someone is sitting on my lap."

The heat from her body rose to her face as she looked down at her skirt resting on his stomach. The realization didn't help her move any quicker either, as she slid backwards, down his legs, causing Kenichi's face to look about as hot as hers felt.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed, rising to her feet as quickly as she could. Despite the awkwardness of the whole situation, she still kept enough wits to help him up. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I think so," Kenichi whispered as he slowly began to stand, borrowing from her strength as he straightened his back. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You really can take a beating," she told him, mechanically straightening his shirt as they stood together. "I admire your training."

"Thanks," he replied quietly, watching her hands adjust and smooth out his shirt. "I'm really sorry about that." He bent down and picked up her purse, which had been knocked aside when they fell.

Stopping herself as she looked up at him, Kimiko smiled, embarrassed by the whole situation, accepting her purse. "Thanks, and don't worry about it. No harm, no foul, right?"

"I guess," he said, hanging his head, downcast. "I was just in a hurry to catch you before you left."

When he looked up at her again, something about his expression suddenly looked very familiar, as if she had seen it before. With his eyebrows furrowed he looked at her with real concern, and he frowned slightly.

"Now are you sure that _you're_ all right?" he asked, his eyes hanging about her waist a bit longer.

Looking down, she found her skirt had ridden up her thighs quite high. A flush of embarrassment warmed her cheeks as she quickly fixed her miniskirt and checked the rest of her clothes.

"Sorry," he whispered, his eyes suddenly fixed upon the floor.

"Little jostled, but I'm peachy." She looked over his clothes. He was dressed similarly to when she had first met him in the airport, a shirt and black slacks, and it was a look she liked, as most of the guys she'd ever hung out with wore training uniforms. Putting that thought elsewhere, Kimiko changed the subject quickly. "So, did you want to talk to me about something?"

"I was just going to say bye," he said, looking away from her, suddenly bashful.

"No need," Kimiko told him, taking his arm. "I just came back to see if you wanted to hurry and come with us. Your sister said that we'd be going by your work place anyway, so you can ride the train with us. Plus, we have to take your bike, and your sister didn't think it was a good idea to put Rintaro on a bike behind you."

Kenichi chuckled, collecting his shoes and socks before they entered the courtyard. As he quickly put them on, Kimiko found his bike on the wall and walked it over to him. She watched him as he tied his shoelaces on his right shoe. As he began to tie the other, he looked up at her with a smile.

The door creaked open and Akane came out in a yellow sun dress and a matching hat, followed by three children, including Eiji, and her father. As Akane walked up to say goodbye, Eiji rushed past her and attached himself to Kimiko's leg.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kimiko," Akane told her as she looked down at her son with her eyes mildly scolding.

"I don't mind him," Kimiko said, kneeling down to lift him up and propped him on her hip. "He just wanted to say bye to me, too. Right, Eiji-chan?"

The little boy nodded emphatically and pleaded, "Take me with you."

She and Akane shared a laugh as Kenichi took a hold of the bike. The comfortable mirth in Akane's demeanor warmed Kimiko to the heart. She smiled at the older woman who reciprocated it.

"Well, you better be off," Akane said, taking Eiji from Kimiko and setting him on the floor. She turned to address her older son. "Take care, Kenichi-kun. We're going on a walk."

"I will, Mom," he said as Akane began to compel the children towards the gate. Soun waved at them before exiting with his daughter and the children.

Kimiko and Kenichi were left alone on the brick walkway. When Kenichi began to walk towards the gate, she followed. When he walked through and had closed the gate, Kenichi swung a leg over the saddle, and then turned and patted the back of the seat. She approached it warily, realizing that her short skirt would make the journey unpleasant. After nimbly propping herself upon the seat, she pulled her skirt as low as possible. Only for balance, she gently clasped her thighs around Kenichi, causing a stir from him.

"Ready?" he asked of her as she put her hands on his back.

"Yeah."

Riding down the street against the wind, they traveled in the direction of Ucchan's and the train station.

* * *

A few days old, the yellow police line left around a blood-splashed area of grass had been left to rot in the warm sunlight, forgotten by the people who had left it there. A tall man in an overcoat stared at it, even as nervous couples gathered around the lake stared at him. It was the first warm day of summer after all. He stood next to a short, elderly gentleman whose age could have been sixty or eighty, who wore light-colored shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. Even in the hot weather, not a drop of sweat touched the man's brow. He was not the one wearing an overcoat.

"Apparently, the police stopped looking into the incident the day it happened," the caretaker of the park told the man.

"Could you possibly recount what you remember from that night?" the tall man asked of the old man.

"Of course," the gardener told the stranger. "You say you are hunting for the man who did this to the poor girl?"

"If he is the one I have been following," he responded, his eyes taking in the older man's eagerness to tell. "Why don't we sit on the bench over there?"

"Good idea," the gardener said.

The_**y**_ two walked over to the unoccupied bench that overlooked the lake and sat down.

"Well, I was opening the gates on Monday morning when a young girl appeared at them. She seemed nice and I walked with her a bit before she began her jog. It was still dark, but it's very difficult to get in at night, and the police run through the park before I close so that all the transient people are ejected. After Monday, I do not disagree with that policy.

"So I let her in and walked with her partway to the lake. After opening the gate, I always walk through my flowers. They smell so good in the morning, fresh with the night's dew."

Growing impatient, the stranger reached down, lifted a rock from the dirt ground around the bench, and threw it across the lake, half-listening as the old man continued.

"It wasn't until later that I heard anything out of the ordinary. I began to walk towards the lake to watch the sun come up when I heard people being very loud. I really hate when people are loud in my park. It's so peaceful in the morning, so you can easily tell where disturbances are coming from. When I got to the lake, I saw two people in it. A man stood over a small girl, drowning her."

"Drowning her, you say?" he asked, taking more interest in the conversation. "The police did not tell me that. But he did not drown her?"

"No, no," the old man assured. "After I had called the police, I came back to see if I could do anything. By that time another man was crouched over her. It turned out to be her brother. He saved her, and when the paramedics came, they had to patch the both of them up. I heard that brother of hers had to fight her attacker off before he was able to resuscitate her."

"Interesting," the stranger remarked, cupping his chin with a hand. "It does not sound like the man I am looking for. Did you see him at all?"

"I only saw him that once in the lake," the gardener said, shaking his head. "He had short black hair and wore a dark shirt, but it was hard to tell anything else, since he was waist-deep in water."

"How about the girl? What did she look like?"

The old man looked up at him curiously, but he answered in spite of his suspicion. "She was short, ponytail, red hair. She looked Chinese, or maybe Japanese. Didn't you talk to her yourself?"

The tall man did not answer right away, pondering the gardener's answer. After a cough, the man replied, "No, I am not investigating this crime in particular. I'm following a predator that might be the assailant here."

The gardener bowed his head in apology. "Oh, forgive my curiosity. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

With a nod the stranger stood. He supposed he would not find anything that would prove this to be the work of the man he hunted. A thought occurred to him as he considered leaving.

"You wouldn't have happened to see any evidence that the other officers collected, or found anything out of the ordinary after the incident?"

Considering this, the old man turned and looked over the lake, his old, sharp eyes shining in the light of the mid-morning sun. "Why, yes. I believe I did find something unusual. I showed the police, but by that time, they said the case was closed."

"Hmm," the man thought aloud. "So they caught this villain?"

"I would not know," the gardener replied. "But if you want the piece of material I found on the grass yesterday, I can give it to you if you come by my office."

"That would be very helpful."

After a walk along a path through trees and flowers, the old man showed him into his office, which consisted of a one-room cabin with enough space for a bed, small kitchen unit and a desk. He picked through a drawer and produced a small piece of fabric, which he offered to the stranger.

"Oh yes, you have been very helpful, sir," the tall man said, staring at the piece of the headband that he knew belonged to his target. "Most helpful indeed."

"Oh?" the gardener asked.

"My prey has returned home."

Pausing, the ex-florist took in the man's eagerness. "What station did you say you worked for?"

With no response but a smile, the man simply exited the cabin and never looked back.

* * *

Notes: I'm cutting a plot hole that I have no intention of closing, but I don't think you're missing anything in regards to all of Nabiki's side-story parts. They were building to some weird plot that I was developing for the series' sequel that I decided not to write. I've been editing bits and pieces here and there, trying to make the overall story less of a nightmare to wrap up, but the Nabiki thing was just plain useless (no story, no character development, and no useful dialog, and all cryptic uselessness). The wrap-up will take place in the epilogue instead of a series sequel. Until then.


	10. Part Three: Sayonara (3 of 8)

**Misery Loves Company**  
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Part Three: Sayonara  
(3 of 8)

The gates to the Tendou residence inched open, revealing the dark man, his clothes stained by dirt, blood and time. He ruffled his black hair, matted with dirt and sweat, and then took his first step onto the brick walkway in several weeks. It seemed to remember him, he thought, as the echo of his footsteps announced his return.

Ryouga felt truly glad to be home.

He crossed the walkway, his eyes intent on the front door. He approached it, about ready to open it, but stopped. Pausing for a moment, he looked over his shoulder at the bright sky. His return home had taken far too long, even thought it was quicker than usual.

After his bout with Ranma, or whoever the girl had been if she was even real, he needed something solid. Ever since the other man had defeated him, Ryouga had found himself more able to pay attention to his surroundings and find his way home quicker than usual, as if the strange chi attack had knocked the beast loose from his mind.

Trying the door, Ryouga found it locked. His spare key was hopelessly lost somewhere between here and Kyoto, so he settled for wandering around the back of the house, finding the backdoor after another few minutes of concentration. He had to keep his focus so that he could see his family before he inevitably had to leave.

He found the sliding door locked as well. With a sigh, he walked to the dojo and sat on the floor. Feeling safe at his own home, the exhaustion that he had ignored for so long began to creep up from his feet until it reached his eyes. Fighting it off, he stood, leaving his pack and walking towards the locker room. Ryouga found his son's locker after a few tries and appropriated a clean training gi that he decided to borrow until he could enter the house and get his own clothes.

Stripping out of the dirty ones he had on, Ryouga entered the showers and cleansed away a week of traveling and fighting from his exhausted body. He closed his eyelids tight as he felt a wave of nausea almost take him. Slipping against the tile, Ryouga held onto the shower head as his head spun, when a strange image appeared before his eyes: a muddy cliff broken by a circular blast, with him _**at**_ standing at its center.

The image floated through his head as he regained his composure and continued his shower. Dimmed by time and repression, he mentally waded through the rough in the way of recollection. Only a shower of sensations came back to him as he pondered the image: depression, fear, pain and relief. Everything but the relief was easy to place, as the very image looked like a bomb had been placed in the spot in which he stood. A blast of depression, a Shishi Houkoudan, could have easily made such a mark, a spiritual attack he had long ago stopped using. It all seemed to lead...

"Ryouga," he heard a voice whisper.

Spinning, Ryouga found an empty shower room staring at him. His heart raced as he watched the walkway to the lockers.

"Who's there?" he demanded of the emptiness.

Shutting off the water, he slipped a towel around his waist and quickly ran through the lockers, searching for anyone. After eliminating his anxiety, Ryouga returned to his shower, at a loss as to what he had been thinking about only moments before.

* * *

They sat in the crowded train in silence, he on the aisle seat next to her. The conversation of the couple in the seats in front of them more than made up for their lack of words. People throughout the train spoke just as loudly and rapidly as Mayako and Rintaro did, but they continually flung one insult after another at each other, like starting with their hands gripped at the bottom of a baseball bat, groping upwards until one had their hand on its very top.

The latest line of banter centered around an action that Mayako claimed Rintaro had done to her while they rode the bike to the train station.

"I did not pinch your butt!"

"So you say."

"Not like I'd want to pinch your butt anyway."

"Oh, so there's something wrong with it, then? Is that what you're trying to say?"

"Yeah, it belongs to you."

Kenichi put his head in hands, rubbing his temples in preparation for his sister to turn to him and demand that he should defend her bottom. He knew it was coming: her unavoidable deflection. Whenever she lost verbal combat, she would try to throw the football to someone else and let that person be tackled.

It had only been a few days since Mayako and Rintaro had patched up their makeshift friendship and they were already fighting over nothing. This fact further made Kenichi glad that Kimiko behaved nothing like his sister, who, for all her good points, acted like a spoiled child half the time. Looking over at the redhead, he observed her as she looked out the window, her hands against the metal window seal, her head leaning against the seat and her back towards him.

"Kenichi, tell me," Mayako said, her face peeking through the seats at her brother. "My butt is pinchable, isn't it?" Her voice carried that sisterly advice that read: Agree Or Die. Unfortunately, Kenichi also knew that Rintaro would only turn on him with an incest remark or something equally embarrassing. Sometimes, he wondered if it would be better to jump out of the speeding train than to try to come out unscathed in a conversation with anyone.

To his surprise, Kimiko came to his rescue.

"Well, he doesn't really count, does he?" she asked as she turned her body forward, her eyes suddenly meeting his wide ones. In those beautiful baby blues he could not miss the mischievous glint of light. "But I think it's very pinchable." That followed with a yelp from Mayako, who jumped forward in her seat. Although he had missed the quick movement, Kenichi watched Kimiko return her hand from between the seats in front of them.

With a laugh, Kenichi awaited more.

"So what," Rintaro asked. "So she likes girls and boys. What's so funny?"

"No, Saotome-san," Kimiko told him, her voice like velvet. "Since we've both already kicked it, I felt it wasn't fair if we both didn't pinch it, too."

At that, both Kenichi and Rintaro burst into laughter. When he heard a growl from Mayako's side of the train, Kenichi nearly spit he laughed so hard. After he gained control of himself, he wiped his eyes and face with his shirtsleeve.

"Well said, Nishiyama-san," Rintaro saluted, his voice cracking with chuckles.

After a few minutes, a few stops and a few repeated chuckles, they arrived at Kenichi's stop.

"I guess this is goodbye for now," Kenichi told Kimiko, setting his hand on hers with a pat. She blinked as she looked at him, and then smiled. Leaning toward him, she put her right arm over his shoulders and patted his back affectionately.

"We'll meet you for lunch, okay?" she said, still smiling.

His face and body warmed at her touch as Kenichi nodded. "I'm looking forward to it."

Standing, he felt Kimiko's hand slide down his back. With a parting glance, he caught her hand waving a quick goodbye.

"See ya, lover-boy," Mayako teased, batting her eyelashes at him. Rintaro merely acknowledged his exit with a nod.

Kenichi stepped off the train and exited the station with a light heart.

* * *

A few rows back, five teenagers tried their best to look inconspicuous, one sitting by himself reading a newspaper, two talking quietly amongst themselves and two sitting quietly. Masami darkly sat at the back of the train next to Kojiro, trying focus on anything but the two girls and one young man that he and his friends followed. A knot had been growing in his stomach for the past half-hour that he had been shadowing the group.

Earlier that week, the redhead sitting next to Kenichi Tendou had pulled a Bruce Lee, taking out three of them: Seiko, Michio and himself. She had aided Ryosei in his duel with Shoji, and had bested all of them. Briefly glancing at Kojiro as the bleach-blonde stared at the window, Masami pondered the wisdom of challenging the girl again.

"I swear, Masami," Seiko began, looking at him from her seat in front of him, "if you don't stop brooding, I'm going to kick your ass right now." The diagonal scar across Seiko's right eye seemed to curve as she glared at him. "I'm serious. We have to be ready to beat those bitches to a bloody pulp. You know how hard this is going to be without you acting like a baby."

"Shut the hell up, Seiko," Masami heard Jotaro, the eldest of them, hiss from his seat on the aisle next to Seiko. "You know he's always like that."

Masami kept silent, as Seiko always snapped at people when she was anxious. He caught an apologetic look in her eyes as she bowed her head to Jotaro.

"There's no reason to be worried," Kojiro said, ruffling his spiky blond hair with his fingers. "Saotome will not help them. He owes you one, Jotaro. If he's good for anything, it's his word, right?"

"We still have to be cautious," Jotaro replied softly. "Even though Rintaro may not help the girls, this will still be a close fight. We have to stick to the plan. No exceptions."

Masami reviewed the plan in his head that they had decided several days ago in at his brother Michio's hospital bed. Once the teens left Kenichi at his workplace, Seiko, Jotaro and Kojiro would confront the three. He and Shoji would remain further back in order to surprise Kimiko, a little bit after Seiko would challenge Mayako. That would be when Jotaro and Kojiro would jump Kimiko together, as the two had been planning their moves the last few days. After they engaged Kimiko, he and Shoji would wait to see if Seiko needed help, and then aid her. If not, they were to stay out of the fight altogether, as surprise attacks might set off Rintaro.

Hopefully, their plan would throw a wrench into any team tactics the two could have in their heads. And again, it all depended upon Rintaro's non-involvement. If he joined the fight for any reason, they would have no chance to win, unless Kimiko and Mayako were already out of the picture.

Masami quietly sighed to himself, reaching up to finger his glossy black bike hanging above his head.

"Don't worry, bro," Kojiro whispered in Masami's ear. "All you gotta do is kick back with loud-mouth and make sure he doesn't jump the gun."

At that moment, the train stopped, and Masami's heart leaped as he prayed that the trio did not exit the train. He wished that they would never leave it, so he would not have to fight the redhead or Mayako. When Kenichi alone stood up, he sighed, happy that at least Kenichi would be out of reach should they have looked to him for help.

The train picked up speed and the city blurred out the window, though Kojiro's bleach-blond hair blocked Masami's view afterward. Picking himself up, he quietly walked past Jotaro and Seiko's seats and sat next to Shoji, who had been curiously silent the entire trip. Clenching a newspaper tightly in his hands, the boy who had sworn undying vengeance against his foes read the comics with an enthralled look in his eyes.

Turning after a moment, Shoji glanced at Masami, setting the paper on the floor of the train.

"Almost time, huh?" he asked in a whisper. "Good."

Masami looked at him meaningfully.

"I know," Shoji replied to Masami's unspoken meaning. "I'm not to fight the bitch at all unless Jotaro calls for us." A glare later, he added, "Okay, and I only help Seiko if you jump in first. You don't need to get so pushy."

"That's not it at all," Masami whispered. "How can you read the comics still? Those are kid's manga." All Masami received for that was a glare and Shoji picked up his newspaper, continuing his reading while ignoring anything further from the boy.

The train stopped at its next destination, and this time, Mayako stood up quickly, beginning to take down her bike.

"That's our cue," Jotaro hissed from behind them. "Once they start walking out, grab your bikes and follow quickly. We don't want to lose them. You know your job, Masami."

Yes, Masami did know his job. He was to follow closely. Going down the aisle to his former seat, he quickly took down his bike and exited the train through a door the trio was not using. Catching a glimpse of the three making their way out of the station, he followed them as inconspicuously as possible, faking as if to check this station's message board. His heart beat quickly as he reluctantly followed the orders of his leader.

* * *

Riding on the seat of Mayako's bike, Kimiko closed her eyes as the reckless teenager steered the light, aluminum-framed, red bike through the scattered bicyclists as fast as her two legs would push her. The girl's black hair obscured what little vision Kimiko would have had opening her eyes anyway. Clutching Mayako so as not to fall off, Kimiko almost yelped as her friend hopped up the curb from the bike path, onto the sidewalk and straight into a crowd of people.

To ride a bike like this would not have scared her. What did was the fact that she was not in control of it! She almost felt like pulling her hair at their ends in frustration every time Mayako nearly struck a pedestrian. With a glance over her shoulder, Kimiko stole a glance at Rintaro, who followed close behind on Kiyoshi's black bike, not giving Mayako much more than a few feet of a lead.

"Do we have to go so fast?" Kimiko asked as Mayako blindly turned a corner, nearly crashing into a couple, who had to jump in opposite directions to not be smacked.

"I have to prove I'm a better on a bike than Rintaro!" she shouted back over her shoulder.

For some reason, Kimiko thought of Sally in the light of Mayako's reckless driving, although driving ninety in an empty residential zone was a bit different to riding a bike through a crowded street. Neither of them, however, made Kimiko feel any easier about the girls.

"Stop the bike, Mayako," Kimiko sternly told the girl.

"Ahh," Mayako whined as she slowed the bike and hopped the curb back onto the bike trail. "We're almost there anyway, Kimiko."

Rintaro pulled up beside them and matched their pace. The redhead watched him and noticed the line of sweat at his brow a moment before he wiped it with the sleeve of his borrowed shirt. She still remarked at how amazingly similar he looked to her now-lost male-half, although the small cleft in his chin gave him necessary separation from it. For some reason, she realized that she had not paid his appearance very much attention.

Damp with perspiration, Rintaro's short cut, black hair flowed in the wind as he peddled next to the two girls. The clothes he had acquired from Kenichi fit him awkwardly. The black pants were a bit too long, and probably a notch too wide as they seemed to hang at the boy's hips with slack to spare. His untucked green shirt rippled like a flag in the wind.

As Kimiko examined him, he turned his face toward her for a moment, catching her eye for an instant. His blank expression and cold blue eyes made her shy away from him. Tortured was the only adjective she could think of to describe the soul behind those eyes.

"Let's take a shortcut," Rintaro suggested as the two bikes pulled up beside an alleyway that cut through the shops. He then pedaled into the alley.

Kimiko noticed that Mayako tensed up for a moment, before following Rintaro. Kimiko held on tightly as the girl sped down the dimly lit alley. They met a ninety-degree turn to the left, passing the backdoors of all the shops of their destination, which a chain link fence guarded down its length on their right. Rintaro followed it closely, lightly brushing his fingers against the fence as he coasted to the end of the alley, and then cut right sharply in another ninety-degree turn.

A few moments later, Rintaro slowed as they entered the shopping market Kimiko sorely missed after spending pocket-burning cash at the identical malls of California. Colorful banners with Kanji characters hung from all the light poles, swaying in a light breeze that cooled the market's customers.

"How about food?" Rintaro suggested as they dismounted their bikes and began walking down the walkway through the market.

"Sounds good to me," Mayako replied.

They spent the rest of the afternoon eating at all the street vendors.

* * *

Jotaro Saito watched with bated breath as Masami greeted him on the corner of the alley with his bike in _**toe**_ tow. Looming over the smaller young man, Jotaro grimaced at his friend, scanning the crowd for their victims. Masami looked a little out of breath as he stopped in front of Jotaro.

"Well?" Jotaro demanded, propping his hands on his hips.

"Don't worry, man," the dark young man replied softly. "They stopped at an ice cream parlor. They parked their bikes just up that way." Masami paused for a moment, looking up at his superior, waiting for something.

Jotaro grumbled in reply, glaring at the kid for stalling. "Get to it, Masami. We don't have all day."

"Yeah, all right," Masami whispered, pushing his bike down the alley and around the bend where Kojiro would be waiting with Seiko and Shoji. A few moments later, Seiko and Kojiro walked toward him. Seiko grinned off her usual bad mood, winking at him when she approached. Kojiro rubbed his spiky blond hair when the two stopped in front of him.

"All right, are you two ready?" Jotaro asked of the two a moment later. "You better be, because once things are set in motion, there's no stopping them. It's do or die."

Seiko was quick to respond, her eyes burning. "Damn right! I'm ready to kill that bitch!"

"Whatever," Kojiro said with a yawn. "I just wanna get this over with. Nothing like a brawl to make you miss lunch."

When the three entered the lunch crowd, an avenue through the people opened immediately. Whether Jotaro's size or Seiko's look of pure murder threw them off, it did not matter as it served Jotaro's purpose.

"You sure he won't help her?" Kojiro asked, rubbing a hand through his hair again.

"Yes," Jotaro replied, glaring at the blond. "Trust me. I'm sure he won't help."

"How can you be so sure, Jo? There's bad blood between us. Even if he doesn't like that redhead ho, don't you think he'll smack us out of spite? That's what I'd do."

"That's why you're little league compared to him," Seiko mocked, elbowing Kojiro.

"Shut up, the both of you," Jotaro fumed, ready to smack the both of them. Slowing his step, he picked it up and walked in the middle of them. "He won't help, and that's that. What, you want me to whip out the storybook and read to you exactly why? Just take my word for it. In fact, I have it on good authority that not only will he not help, but he might even just help us."

Kojiro shrugged, speeding his step as they neared the bike rack where they found the twins' bikes locked up tightly. They peered across the walkway at the dessert parlor, seeing all three of their victims with their backs to the window.

"Do it," he told Seiko as the three of them crowded the bike rack. A pocketknife appeared in the black-haired girl's hands as she made quick work of the two bikes' tires.

* * *

"If I eat another bite, I'm going to explode," Mayako complained at the second half of her ice cream sundae. Her stomach ached under the pressure of a large lunch and the ice cream. She looked down at the last few bites.

"Oink, oink," Rintaro squeaked at her, pushing his nose up like a pig. She laughed in spite of herself, especially after seeing the chocolate moustache he sported as well as the pig nose. He had not been this playful in a while.

"I'll finish that for you," Kimiko interjected, managing to dump the contents of Mayako's bowl into her empty one.

"Hey," Rintaro protested, peering past Mayako who sat in the middle of them. "You're supposed to eat dainty portions so I get all the leftovers." Mayako smirked at him as she watched his expression turn from annoyance to surprise.

Turning to Kimiko, Mayako watched with wide eyes as the girl devoured the remains of the sundae. She suddenly had the image in her head of a vacuum cleaner.

"Wow, Kim-chan," Mayako whispered. "You eat like my brother."

At that, Rintaro barked a laugh, spitting the last portion of his ice cream back in his bowl. "Close, but no one can match Kenichi."

Kimiko shrugged in reaction as she polished off the sundae, spooning the sides of the bowl for every last drop.

After they paid and exited the restaurant, Mayako grabbed Kimiko's bare arm, dragging her towards the shop next door.

"Hey, where are we going?" she protested, stumbling in her heels.

"Right here!" Mayako exclaimed, followed by a smile at the store next to the ice cream parlor. She pointed through the window of a clothes store with a front display of headless mannequins in various stylish fashions for both men and women.

Releasing the redhead's wrist, Mayako flashed a smile at the suddenly troubled-looking Rintaro who exited the parlor a bit slower than she and Kimiko had. As she crossed the threshold of the store with the unintelligible English words scrawled all over its windows, she pondered Rintaro's odd mood swings. From his normal cynical self, he had taken the time to flirt with her all morning, and then play like he had not renounced their friendship to the whole school. The few dark moments she had caught him sulking, he seemed to be drowning in a shadow in the corner of the room.

She wanted to believe his candid attempt at refreshing their friendship, and possibly taking it a step further, but deep down, Mayako knew her heart to be too fragile for such an enthusiastic approach. She did not consider Rintaro a safe bet, but more like a one-in-ten gamble in a horse race.

Putting her concerns aside momentarily, Mayako lifted her chin and strutted down the red carpet of the large American chain clothes retailer, ready to spend her allowance as she always did, frivolously. After all, how many days as an adult would she be able to spend working two jobs in order to still run the dojo and pay the bills? She could save now and pay it all into something just as stupid later, but she could enjoy new clothes now.

She turned and met Kimiko's wide blue eyes with a wink.

"Why don't you buy yourself something that'll cover that trim belly of yours? You're making all the mortal girls jealous."

Kimiko blushed and managed to disappear down an aisle on the men's side of the store. Mayako shrugged and picked the aisle closest to the window where they put all the newest stuff imported from America. Rintaro followed, obviously an illiterate in the world of fashion in his borrowed clothing from her equally trend-challenged brother.

It did not take her long to find a couple of outfits to try on. Rintaro merely watched her with faked interest and glanced out the window every once and a while. Anytime she asked his opinion on a particular skirt or blouse, he shrugged indifference or nodded with feigned satisfaction. Engaging him in clothes shopping, apparently, was not possible. He even declined an offer for her to buy him an outfit.

"I'm going to try these on," she told him. "Have you seen Kimiko?"

"No," he said, quickly glancing around. "She's too short to see her head over the aisles." He then grinned smugly. "Need her to help you try them on? If so, I volunteer my services."

"Let me guess," she started, putting her hand on her hip. "You'd also offer your gracious service helping me try on new bras and panties? Oh, you're so wonderful, Saotome-san." Flashing her teeth, she turned on her heels and began her search of the aisles for Kimiko.

"I'm going to wait outside," he said to her back dryly.

"Big loss there," she whispered as she found Kimiko empty-handed at the back of the women's side, thumbing through some of the bargain clothing.

"Ah, come on," she said, rolling her eyes at Kimiko. "I can pick you out something better than these rags." Kimiko looked as clueless as Rintaro as she smiled haphazardly, placing a hand behind her head.

"Uh, thanks, I think," the redhead replied, biting her lip.

After a few minutes of browsing, she found pulled a peach Chinese-styled blouse from the rack in the middle isle, where all the most expensive stuff, supposedly marked down ten percent or more, usually appeared. Kimiko could afford it, Mayako knew. From the look of her hotel room, Kenichi had to be worth a few million at the very least. Mayako could only imagine her credit line.

"What about this?" she said holding the garment up to Kimiko's chest. It felt like silk in her hands, so she flipped the tag to see the price, coughed, and started to put it back. Her little trick worked.

"Hey, I liked that," Kimiko protested. "Price doesn't really matter."

"Yeah, but buying it at that price would be a sin," Mayako said, goading her new friend into it. "Just look at it!" She showed Kimiko the price tag. The girl's eyes bulged.

"You're probably right," Kimiko said after a moment.

Mayako sensed her reverse psychology failing and put it into overdrive. "Yeah, your brother would have a fit if he saw you buying stuff like that." Kimiko's eyes narrowed at the remark, so she continued. "Probably put you over his knee and spank you in front of company. I don't blame you being scared of him and all."

"What?" she nearly cried back. "Hah, even if he did get mad, I'd just blow him off. The punk has enough money to pay off all of the American government and still buy a new tux." She then began rifling through the expensive rack with fresh interest.

Her manipulation had worked much better than planned. Kimiko even offered to pay for her clothes, too! She could blow the rest at the arcade tomorrow!

They went into the women's dressing room and found one stall unused.

"Why don't you go first?" Kimiko happily offered, opening the stall for her.

"Don't be silly," Mayako whispered, pulling the redhead in with her. "That'd just be a waste of time." The raven-haired girl pushed the door closed. She saw a bit of unease on the other girl's face. "I'm not going to bite."

"That's not it," Kimiko said bashfully, looking meaningfully at the pile of clothes in her hands. "Oh, never mind."

"Never figured you for the shy type," she said, starting to strip out of her outfit. "I mean, you didn't bat an eye in the locker room."

"I'm not shy," she said defensively, turning her back and quickly slipping out of the very little bit of cloth that made up her outfit.

"No kidding," she told the redhead, looking down at her skirt and blouse. "Don't you feel naked dressed like that? I know I would. I can wear a skirt, but nothing that short, and definitely have to have my stomach covered." The thought of running around in anything as small as Kimiko's outfit made her arms grow goosebumps.

"I don't have much choice, anyway," she replied, pulling the peach blouse over her head. It fit well and looked great with her red hair splashed down across it. "My nanny didn't pack anything but outfits like that except my gi and a few pairs of sweats."

Boggling at the idea of having a nanny, Mayako wondered what kind of life the redhead led in the States. She did not seem to be like rich kids at her school, but at the same time she was probably richer than all of them combined.

"I didn't used to have it this good, you know," Kimiko said, turning to Mayako a little rosy-cheeked at first seeing Mayako in her underwear, as if she had not showered in the locker room with her, though she did remember the girl paying a lot of attention to the wall.

"Go on," Mayako urged her slipping into a skirt. "Oh, I like this one."

"Until I was adopted by Nishiyama-san, I didn't have much more than a few yen to my name. I guess I'm still not used to it all. The simplicity of the road makes a lot more sense. All you worry about is where your next meal is, not this where will I buy my next outfit bull—" She cut herself off and looked up shamefully. "I didn't mean—"

"Don't apologize for your feelings," Mayako said, suddenly liking Kimiko a bit more. The girl added more depth to her personality at every turn. "I really don't come here that often, unless you count once a month a lot?"

Kimiko chuckled in response.

"Hey, a girl's got to look good to lift her spirits sometimes, all right?"

"I had a friend in America who would have cheered along with you," Kimiko said lightly with a wide smile. "Do what'cha like, she'd say to me. Screw the consequences, because it's not tomorrow yet. I don't get it, but it made people at my school cheer."

"It is a good saying to live by," Mayako said, trying on her last outfit. "I think I'd get along with this friend of yours."

Kimiko tried on a cute button-up blouse that she had picked out. It looked a bit dressy for Mayako, but she had to admit it did look good on the redhead.

"Looks good," Mayako told her. "Let's buy it all." With a chuckle, Kimiko agreed.

"Hey, is it OK to wear these out?" Kimiko asked, gesturing to the pantsuit. "Short skirts and bikes don't match."

"Yeah, just rip off the tags and show them to the cashier.

Mayako led her friend to the counter and placed it all up there, grateful that Kimiko could afford the clothes. She could not even have afforded the peach-colored blouse.

With her back to Kimiko, she let herself distantly browse the aisles for anything, when she stopped her eyes in the men's side. Kenichi had not bought himself clothes in a few months, and needed a new shirt for work, with Rintaro's 'borrowing' and unlikely to return of one of his few work outfits. One shirt caught her eye.

A mannequin wore it with a pair of matching pants. The striped blue shirt and dark blue pants fit Kenichi's conservative style and was marked down fifty percent. Who could beat that...plus she did promise her mom to bring back something for Kenichi. She would pay Kimiko back for it.

"Hey, Kim, mind if I throw something on the tab for Kenichi? I'll pay for it after. It's just that he needs a new outfit badly, and who knows if he'll ever go to the store on his own."

"OK, grab it."

She found the pair on a hanger below the display and returned to Kimiko's side, placing it on the counter. The cashier took the garment's tags and ran them through her register, taking the credit card from Kimiko's outstretched hand for the final price.

"Think he'd like that one?" Mayako asked.

"Hmm, sorry?" Kimiko said with her eyes a little glazed. "Like what?"

"The outfit I just put down on the counter. You know, the one for Kenichi."

Kimiko looked around, but the cashier had already put it in the bag.

"Oh well, you can see it on him before you leave for China."

The girls began to walk down the red carpet towards the exit with Mayako failing to see Rintaro outside. Their bikes still sat at the bike racks across the street. Shrugging, she took Kimiko's empty hand and as they approached the glass door. As she put her hand on the door handle to open it, Kimiko pulled her slightly back.

"Huh?" Mayako asked, cocking her head sideways to look at the redhead. Her eyes danced back and forth between two spots, one most likely the bikes, the other most certainly not. She turned and saw Rintaro approaching the bike rack quickly, sitting on it as he waited for them.

"He just came out of that alley," Kimiko said, pointing to the one they used as a shortcut to the plaza. "And look. The bikes are wrong somehow."

"What?" Mayako said in disbelief, looking closely at them. Rintaro pointed at his bare wrist as if he had a watch on. "Are you sure? What's wrong with them?"

"I think someone slashed the tires," Kimiko whispered. "And Rintaro knows about it."

"Miss Junior Sleuth, how can you see all this?" Mayako chuckled, trying to pull the girl forward, but met resistance. "You're serious?"

"Dead serious," the redhead replied. Mayako turned and saw her eyes, sharp blues sapphires. "I don't like the look of his aura. Something's really wrong."

"So the tires are slashed, and he didn't tell us, huh? What the hell could he get out of that? I doubt he slashed our ride."

"Mayako," Kimiko leaned in and whispered. "I think he means to jump us."

"Hah!" the dark-haired girl exclaimed, elbowing her friend. "Jump me and you together? He'd never stand a...he came from that alley? The one he took us through?"

Rintaro waved at them. The distance was not far enough for Mayako to miss the tension in his face. He did look uneasy. He must know about the tires. How could he miss it? If so, he would have told them right away, unless he had something to do with it.

"Oh hell," she whispered back. "Let's see if there's a back way. Can't be too cautious with freaks like Rintaro."

With Kimiko's hand held tight, Mayako rushed them to the cashier's counter.

"Is there something wrong with your purchase?" the cashier asked. "Is everything all right?"

"Do you have a back exit, or anything?"

"No, sorry," the cashier replied. "Only the store manager can open the lock, and he's not in the store right now."

"Can I please use your phone then? This is an emergency."

"This phone does not call out of the district," the cashier informed her as she pulled a phone out from underneath the counter.

She quickly dialed the number to Kenichi's work, the only number in range, if the cashier had correctly informed her. She turned to the door to see Rintaro crossing the avenue to the store, and so she quickly handed the phone to Kimiko.

"Tell Kenichi to come to this store as fast as he can," she told the redhead as she took off to intercept Rintaro. "If he asks why, just tell him Sailor Moon sucks. He'll understand."

"Is that a stupid code phrase, or something?"

"Yeah, because he knows if it's from me, I'm lying."

Her heart rate sped up drastically as she rushed out of the store and met the young man before he could enter.

"What's taking you so long?"

"Why do you care?" she rebuked him. "Kimiko had to...use the bathroom. She'll be right out."

Rintaro hummed aloud, as she turned him around for them to walk toward the sabotaged bikes.

"She probably has to puke out lunch now," he said a bit more bitterly than the supposedly cynical comment called for. "No one holds a figure like that eating as she does."

Mayako kept her reply to herself, which would have been something like, "Oh, so you already puked out your portion?" as she was too nervous. If Kimiko's eyes spoke truth, Rintaro was definitely messing with her. He almost positively would have mentioned the vandalism by now.

"Hey," she said halfheartedly, pointing towards the bikes. "Somebody slashed our tires! What the hell?" All her play-acting started to pay off.

"Yeah," Rintaro said solemnly. "I would have told you earlier, but you looked like you were having fun. Didn't want to spoil that." She caught his glance as it quickly brushed the alley. She might have accepted his reply if she thought him a considerate person.

A spike of trepidation ran through her spine as she noticed something in the alley.

"Oh God," she whispered as three recognizable faces appeared from it.

* * *

"Hello?" Kenichi's voice asked on the other side of the city.

"It's Kimiko," the redhead informed him, watching Mayako and Rintaro walk to the bike racks together.

"Hi," he responded, his voice uneven. "What's up?"

Mayako and Rintaro disappeared from her line of sight as Kimiko nervously held the phone to her ear. She fought the urge to check up on Mayako. Although she felt something really bad coming on, she wondered if Kenichi could even get there in time to help them if anything did occur.

"Kimiko? What's wrong?"

"Listen, Kenichi," she told him, trying to remain as calm as she could. "Mayako and I need your help now." A shiver shot up her spine. She had to get out there now.

"It's busy here at work," he replied, his voice edgy. "Tell me what's wrong."

"No time, listen. Get to the Rave Underground ASAP. I don't care what you have to do. Just get here." She held onto the phone only to make sure he understood, hoping he would just agree. Goosebumps formed on her arms as she stared at the unoccupied space by the bikes.

"Where?" Kenichi said confused. "Why? What's the matter?"

"Argh, Mayako said you'd know it. It's the clothes store across from the ice cream parlor that we stopped at."

"Oh, I know that place. Never could read the name though."

"Whatever," Kimiko impatiently replied. "Mayako said some stupid thing like, 'Sailor Moon sucks.' Now get your ass over here now."

"All right," he said after a moment. "This better not be a joke. I could lose my job. I'm coming though."

Hanging up the phone, Kimiko picked up the bags Mayako had left, as well as her own, quickly marching towards the exit. Everything in her body shouted for her to sprint, but she ignored it. If traps had not been sprung yet, she did not want her behavior to set them off.

The walk to the glass doors felt long, though the store was not very large. She pushed the doors open sharply, nearly knocking someone over as they tried to enter. Without muttering an apology, she shifted past the customer and onto the sidewalk. At the edge of the alley, Rintaro stood beside two strangers, with Mayako nowhere in sight. Their eyes focused on her immediately.

"Oh shit," she whispered, stopping in mid-step. The two young men that now approached her were serious. They walked toward her determinedly, their eyes trying to pierce the armor of her self- confidence. Rintaro remained at his spot at the entrance of the alley.

"Well, look who we have here," the one on the right said, the taller of the two. He stood quite tall, probably six feet or so. Aside from his stature, he was unremarkable. The broad shoulders suggested he worked out, but he did not have the shape of a body builder. His walk, his movements suggested some sort of martial arts training.

The spiky-haired, bleach blond on the left did not respond, his glassy black eyes focusing on her reluctantly. Like his friend, he had shaped his body through some form of training, but unlike his friend, he looked nervous. Kimiko considered whether the twitch in his cheek, the drop of sweat on his brow and his cautious step meant that he planned to jump her. The dark-haired one stopped in the middle of the avenue, his fists clenched.

"I don't know what you have besides a lack of common sense," Kimiko retorted from her spot near the entrance of the store. "You should know better than to jump me out here in the open."

"Who said anything about us jumping you?" the dark-haired one asked suspiciously. "I have a few questions for you."

"No, I don't sell drugs, so scram," she replied mockingly. She looked across at Rintaro who passively stood by the entrance of the alley, turning his head only once to peer into it.

"Funny," the man replied. "But in all seriousness, I have to ask why you interfered in a fight that involved an acquaintance of mine."

"Why'd you have to mess his brother up like you did?" the blond one demanded, his hand starting to shake, not with fear, but with outrage.

Kimiko looked between the two of them, considering her options. She assumed he meant the fight in the alley a few days ago, when she stopped the thugs from picking on Mai and Ryosei Ono.

"Oh, so you're with that brat Shoji and his friends," Kimiko stated. She smiled at them smugly. "Are you some sort of Yakuza wannabes? Should I pay restitution?"

"Now you insult me, you venomous bitch," the dark-haired one began, taking a step closer to make him only ten feet away. "Yes, I am his friend, but it is my brother whom you injured that brings me here. And yes, you will pay restitution. How that will be settled depends on you, though."

"Oh shut the hell up," Kimiko said setting down the shopping bags. "Threatening may make you feel nice and big, but it's hardly going to make me do anything but kick you and your surfer friend's butt back to the lowly dirt hole you were spawned in."

"I suppose that means you consider my colleagues and myself lower than scum? We do not belong in our own country, when whorish American spoiled brat bitches visit our 'lowly' communities? We cannot settle our own disputes, without little gaijin sluts sticking their white little noses in our business?"

The primal fear or flight adrenalin flooded into Kimiko's veins as she, too, recoiled from an unexpected insult. She knew now they had planned to goad her into a fight from the start. Although she had not tangled with either of these rogues before, Kimiko knew their combined skill could not compare to her and Rintaro's.

Her heart felt as if it had dropped from her chest the moment she realized the truth. The only way they would have approached her in this manner, would be if Rintaro Saotome, the brother that had no clue of their relation, would not assist her in this fight. Her eyes went to Rintaro. It was true.

Fighting the urge to start the battle prematurely, Kimiko, as calmly as she could manage, knelt down and began to pull off one of her pumps.

"What the hell are you doing?" the leader asked, his eyes flashing his confusion and intent.

Not responding, Kimiko removed the second shoe. Kimiko could feel their burning eyes on her as she quietly removed her right shoe. She then placed them next to the bag beside her feet. She then placed her purse in one of the bags.

"I am Kimiko Nishiyama of the School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts," Kimiko told them loudly, her voice echoing over the quiet street.

"I'm Jotaro," the leader said informally, his voice muted. "This is Kojiro. I would say it is a pleasure to meet you, but you would have been better suited to stay in America to become a prostitute."

She assumed they would attack her immediately, but something held them back. Was it the possibility of Rintaro's interference? No, she saw it in their eyes. They were too nervous to fight out in the open; hence, the two fights they had participated in were in alleys. Kimiko Nishiyama feared the authorities about as much as she feared losing to these two.

* * *

With a careful look over her shoulder, Mayako stared at the spot Rintaro had stood before he'd left Seiko and her alone. She knew he betrayed her, even though he swore he would defend her should any others attempt to assist the girl in front of her. The figures of Jotaro and Kojiro, two people she most particularly did not like, remained in her head. Something had gone down between them. That was the only explanation.

"I hope you're ready," Seiko, the girl Mayako sincerely hated, said as she stood near the end of the alley. "I've waited a long time to duel you again."

Mayako confidently watched as Seiko began to circle her the moment their friends left the alley. She had not been surprised that Seiko would want to fight, but the fact that she wanted to duel her alone did surprise her. Everyone, including Seiko herself, should have been aware of the fact that Mayako could wipe the floor with the scar-faced girl. After all, it was Mayako who had given Seiko her scar.

Fingering the line across her face, Seiko scowled at her nemesis with equal confidence. She held her hands up defensively, despite her aggressive movements. Mayako merely stood still, watching her from the corner of her eye, spinning only when the girl completely left her view. She knew that the girl had skill, but did not have much beyond that. Seiko was not very fast, was not very strong and became very sloppy when angry. Mayako knew this because they were in Kendo together in junior high, when Seiko had been the ascending star athlete, and Mayako merely the newcomer.

Mayako had not liked Kendo and she never would, as using a sword stood for everything she disliked. She believed that one's body was the ultimate weapon, and when used correctly could overpower even the finest of weapon masters. When her mother forced her, she had been resistant to any teachings, but still excelled beyond the average student. Mayako Tendou had her father's stubbornness.

As they were now, Mayako and Seiko dueled over who would be the captain of the Kendo team, because Mayako would be damned if she would be pushed around by a punk like Seiko. The scar was a reminder of Mayako's superiority with the sword, or perhaps her recklessness in her desire to succeed without listening to her instructors. Either way, Mayako was now sorry about cutting the girl, but no apology would ever make that scar go away.

"I know I can't beat you like this," Seiko told her, her voice not even hinting at weakness. "That's why I brought this." A blade flashed in her hands, not a training sword like the ones they had dueled with the first time, but a real katana. How sharp the blade could be, Mayako did not know and did not plan to find out.

"I hope you don't expect to even the playing field with that toy," Mayako replied, her confidence growing in her opponent's weakness.

"I've been preparing for this for a while, Tendou," Seiko said coolly. "Once I'm done with you, everyone will know I won. It doesn't matter if I'm at your feet in a heap."

Mayako knew the girl meant to disfigure her the same way, if not worse than she had done to Seiko. It did not matter.

Seiko brandished the weapon skillfully; she had been practicing. Mayako watched her, dancing with the cobra this time, changing her entire approach to this fight. No longer could she just overpower her. The blade danced, too, the sharp blade glittering in the sunlight filtering in through the overhangs of the buildings they stood between.

The first strike came quickly, beginning with the twitch of Seiko's face, her eyes focusing a little bit more upon Mayako and her grip tightening against the leather-wrapped hilt of the katana. Mayako read her movements, flowing between the girl and the blade, remaining defensive until she could discern the girl's current skill. Three years was enough for anyone with a little conviction to improve.

Seiko's wrist twisted as she slashed out, divining the exact angle the blade would take. Mayako could still read her every move like a children's book, easily dodging the attack. Her following thrust was also expected, as Mayako caught the blade with her bare hands. In her moment of triumph, so easily conquering her opponent, she let her guard slip the tiniest bit.

A handful of white dust powdered Mayako's face as she held the blade, surprising her enough that she jumped backward in order to wipe it out of her eyes. The substance stung terribly, flooding her eyes with tears.

"Laundry detergent tastes wonderful, doesn't it?" Seiko mocked before she came in low with a slash. Luckily, Mayako did not need to see her to determine where it would be, and she flipped over Seiko's head and as she landed, twisted quickly with a backwards spin kick.

The kick caught Seiko by surprise, Mayako knew, for the girl stumbled back to defend herself, only managing a half-turn before Mayako's attack landed. Luckily for the scar-faced girl, Mayako did not have nearly the momentum she needed to pack it with any punch. It did buy Mayako enough time to wipe some of the soap from her face, though her vision still blurred with tears and pain.

Again the two squared off, their bodies locked in the deadly dance of combat. Only this time, Mayako realized how dangerously close she stood to the wall, reducing her ability to evade. Seiko rushed, giving her almost no room to dodge her incoming slash. Her heart leapt as she did, leaping at the brick wall to her right. She rebounded off the wall, pushing as hard as she could into her opponent with a horizontal kick of her right leg.

Seiko's slash, although it missed her targeted area, lacerated Mayako's left leg. Mayako Tendou barely felt the sharp blade's tip rip through a layer of her skin as her foot connected squarely into Seiko's right temple. They collided so hard that the blade clattered loudly against the street as their bodies tangled.

There was a moment of uncertainty as Mayako fell on top of her opponent, quickly broken by the flicker of a shadow coming from above her. In one second, her momentary victory turned into a panicked revelation that she might not win this duel after all.

* * *

Wasting no time after putting her good pair of shoes away, Kimiko took one step and leaped at the blond, catching him completely off-guard. He backpedaled only once in surprise as she hurtled into his chest, knocking him over. Rebounding off Kojiro, Kimiko head butted Jotaro's chest. Although he had raised his arms to protect himself, her fierce blow sent him reeling towards the opposing sidewalk.

Regaining her balance, Kimiko landed on her feet, no worse for wear.

"You stupid bitch!" Jotaro hissed at her, still keeping his voice low. "You'll get us all arrested!"

Her body ached for the battle as she took a few steps back, waiting for the two to recover. She slowed her breathing methodically, fighting her own body as much as she engaged the two before her in combat. Pain seemed to pour through every ounce of her blood, as if it had passed into her veins. Her depleted body stripped every last shred of energy for her to fight for what seemed to be the hundredth time in the same week. First there had been the exertion of the fight with Rintaro, and then her near-death in the fight with Ryouga.

Jotaro shot to his feet, brushing himself off as Kojiro gathered himself to his feet slowly, clearly stunned by her attack.

"That wasn't cool," Kojiro said after he righted himself completely.

"Boohoo," Kimiko mocked, thumbing her eye at him. "So go find a corner and cry, why don't ya?"

"I'm ready for her, Jotaro," Kojiro said, gritting his teeth at her remarks.

"As we planned." Straightening his back, Jotaro was easily the tallest person there. Cracking his neck as he rotated his head, the man leveled himself into an offensive stance that looked like a basic black belt Taekwondo.

The two wasted little time in retaliating, converging on her quickly. With Jotaro on her left and Kojiro on her right, Kimiko kept them both in view as they attacked. She hooked her right arm under and around Kojiro's punch, pulling back just in time to evade Jotaro's sidewinder.

"Bakufuuken!" Kimiko cried, generating a burst of calm chi energy in her fist, blasting Kojiro towards his friend. To Kimiko's surprise, Jotaro rolled out of Kojiro's way. The bleach-blonde, on the other hand, rolled face-first into the asphalt as Jotaro snapped up to his feet.

The simple maneuver left Kimiko more drained than she had expected, giving Jotaro an opportunity to attack her. He performed an exceptional spin kick, which Kimiko blocked with her arms. The force of the kick sent Kimiko stumbling to the side. Jotaro took advantage of that fact and threw himself at her.

Cleanly knocked off her feet by his tackle, Kimiko nearly lost consciousness as her head struck the concrete sidewalk. Jotaro began to pummel her, but Kimiko recovered enough chi energy and pushed herself up as hard as she could. Her opponent flailed in the air as she tucked in her body and channeled her energy at him.

"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Kimiko shouted, barraging Jotaro with punches. Their positions reversed, Kimiko pushed off Jotaro, who lay beneath her, his breath and senses temporarily knocked out of his body. Even as she stood, Kimiko realized the fight had hardly even begun.

"Leave him alone!" Kojiro shouted, surprising Kimiko with the speed of his attack. Unable to react in time, Kimiko's vision blurred as the blond struck her across the cheek. She reeled back, fighting to stay balanced. Although she found his strength admirable, she knew he lacked the skill necessary to follow through against her.

Leaping over his head, Kimiko fell to her knees behind him and spun, sweeping his legs from beneath him. Quickly standing, Kimiko turned and found Jotaro regaining his lost senses. Backing away from him and Kojiro, she put some distance between herself and the two of them in order to regain some strength.

"I guess I underestimated you," Jotaro told her, holding his hand to his chest.

"What you did was wake a sleeping lioness," she muttered in response, falling into her stance. "Didn't your mommy ever tell you not to bite off more than you can chew?"

Kimiko took a step towards them, looking up as she calmly took a breath. _Be like the air. Tire your opponents._ She could hear the voice in her head. _Be right in front of them, but unable to be touched._

The two rushed her again, attacking with a combination of low kicks and high punches, which she easily avoided with steps backwards, just close enough to feel the breeze as they over-extended their attacks to reach her. Kojiro stumbled as his friend continued their rush, but even then Jotaro continued to meet air in every attack as she felt herself willed to avoid every attack, bending like grass in the breeze, not breaking like the tree.

She timed his heavy breathing as he stopped and pulled back defensively, his breath rapid after the missed barrage. That was when she counter-attacked. Striking his retracting arm after his last punch, she threw herself in close, bringing her closed fist across his face. She then slammed her elbow into the space just below his shoulder, and finished the combo with a head-butt to his chest. Jotaro fell hard to the asphalt.

Enraged at his friend's defeat, Kojiro attacked Kimiko again only a moment after Jotaro fell. He struck at her hard with a storm of punches. She blocked them, but her arms stung after she pulled out of his range. He pursued her like a bloodhound, his teeth caught in a snarl. He swung wildly and Kimiko used that to her advantage, ducking under his punch and sharply pulled up one of her own, a vicious uppercut that met his chin with a bone-jarring crunch.

Like his friend before him, Kojiro fell to the asphalt, out cold. Only this time, Kimiko fell to a knee as a strong pain ripped through her right hand. Nursing it under her left armpit, she pushed herself to her feet and stumbled towards Rintaro and the alley. Her head and right cheek ached as she noticed the few people who had gathered from the local stores and the scattered shoppers who watched the fight.

"I didn't think you'd handle them this badly," Rintaro remarked as she came close enough. "I thought for sure you'd take them out with your left hand tied behind your back." Even partially beaten, she did not miss the biting sarcasm. He glanced up her body and shook his head in feigned disappointment.

"Yeah whatever, dirtbag," Kimiko retorted, straightening her posture as she stood in front of him. "Now where is Mayako? What did you do to her?"

"Nothing," he said with a casual shrug. "Someone had business with her that seemed pretty urgent."

"What does that mean?" Kimiko demanded, gritting her teeth. "Is she back there in that alley we came through earlier?"

"Yes." He tilted his head to look her in the eyes. "But that doesn't concern you right now. Your business is front of you."

Kimiko narrowed her eyes at her blood brother. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"I have a few questions that you're going to answer," Rintaro told her coldly, looming over her as he approached. "You better be candid, or I'm going to show you what happens to bad little girls. You don't look like you could beat much more than my little brother right now, so don't even put on that false bravado."

"I still have a few surprises up my sleeve, little boy," she told him soundly, yet knowing that he probably would beat her right now.

He proceeded with question number one, which he asked her as soon as they stood in the entrance of the alley, away from the_**y**_ prying eyes of bystanders. "I heard that story about that brother of yours teaching you the Anything-Goes style, but who taught him? You even knew all the little techniques my father taught me. I'd assumed most he created himself. And you used the Chestnut Fist, too. That's an in- house thing that not many know about."

"Kiyoshi is self-taught," Kimiko answered truthfully. "His style isn't any one brand, but a variety of different ones. The Anything-Goes style just happens to be one he taught me mostly. He was in contact with both your father and Soun Tendou, as well."

"You avoided my question, still," Rintaro said in a low voice. "What about the Chestnut Fist? I thought you were fast before, but now I know why. Who taught you that?"

"I had a little guidance, but I learned on my own. What's it to you anyway?"

"Let's just say it's not exactly a well-known technique in martial arts circles worldwide. There are only a few people outside of a certain place in China that know of its existence."

"Well, one of the people who taught me knew it," she replied, trying to get him to move on. She did not care to tell him the truth to that question.

"Okay, but I'm going to find out who taught you eventually." Rintaro's piercing blue eyes seemed less like hers, and much more like a predator's. "But still, I want to know exactly what interest my father has in you. He seemed rather eager to meet you on Sunday, and I want to know why."

The question took Kimiko aback. She wondered if he could have figured out her identity so easily, but was then unwilling to confront her. Had that been the case, should he not have been furious instead of eager? She regarded Rintaro with interest of her own as he awaited her answer, even as her head and hand ached worse.

"What did he say?" Kimiko asked, hoping to glean some information from Rintaro without giving anything away.

"You know something," he said staring at her strangely. "Yes, you know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you? The way he talked about you was as if you were the solution to all his problems."

"I wouldn't know anything about that," she replied, taking a step back.

"Of course not," Rintaro growled menacingly. "Neither he nor my mother had even seen you before, and yet they talked as if they knew you." Pausing, he stared hard at her again. "He did mention your father though."

"My father?" she repeated, furrowing her brows. "Nobukazu-san?"

"No," Rintaro said gravely. "Your biological father."

Blinking, Kimiko knew she had no response that Rintaro was looking for. "Why would he talk about my biological father?"

"That is what I want to know as well, Red," he insisted, backing her into a wall as she took a step away from him. Only a few inches lay between them.

Genma and Soun had not figured out her identity, if what Rintaro hinted at was true. She looked into his blue eyes, which nearly mirrored her own. She could feel his slow breath upon her face, because they stood so close. Her head spun a bit as he hovered in front of her.

"No fainting now," Rintaro said, holding her still by the shoulders. The unexpected contact sent a chill down Kimiko's spine. He easily held her upright, gently pinning her to the wall. "I'm not done with you."

"If your father mentioned mine like that," Kimiko began weakly, "then I don't have an answer for you. I don't know why he even cares I exist."

Rintaro looked away from her, considering her words aloud. "Well he does and so does my mother, and even Soun for that matter. The only answer I can think of is if you were either related to my family or Mayako's."

Putting her hands on his shoulders, she felt her knees start to buckle. "I think I need to sit for a second." She wondered how much of the spinning was from the realization her family might learn her identity, or already knew it. Kimiko did not think she could handle the questions that would come about with such an incident, at least until she found a way to turn into a guy again.

As he softly lowered her to the asphalt ground, Rintaro regarded her with more care than she expected him to show. "Listen, my father and Tendou-san have been scheming for ages to join their families. There was some tragedy that united everyone together a while ago that no one talks about. One day my mother and Akane-san get this crazy idea to unite the family by arranging the marriage of Mayako and myself."

"Mayako told me about that," Kimiko said with a yawn, suddenly very exhausted. The thumping in her head started to make her feel nauseous. "What's that got to do with me?"

"Well, if you were a Saotome or a Tendou, then you could marry a member of the other family and finally unite it with shared blood."

Kimiko could not help but scoff at the irony of his statement. "Wouldn't that be laughs? The stranger out of the red, white and blue just happens to have the right blood to lift the problem off your shoulders." She laughed dryly, resting the back of her head against the brick wall behind her.

In the silence, Rintaro probed her with his eyes. He lifted his hand to her head and pushed his fingers through her hair, feeling along her scalp until it reached the point that had struck the concrete in her fight with the two thugs.

"You've got a concussion," he whispered, pulling his hand away to look at the small drops of fresh blood on his hand. "Hey, wait, now that I think about it, you look do familiar."

"We've never met before Sunday, Rintaro," Kimiko told him, wincing as he brushed his fingers lightly against her cheek. His touches began reminding her of Kiyoshi's medical probing. She hoped he meant nothing more.

"I know," he replied, releasing her face. Pausing, he took her cheek gingerly. "Smile." The perpetual neutral look on his face did nothing to show her whether he was joking or not, though she could only guess what sick joke he meant to play.

"Smile?" she asked, confused with his command. "What do you mean—?"

"Just smile," he told her, dropping his hand to his side. "I'm serious."

In a lame attempt at a smile, Kimiko flashed her teeth and nearly laughed at the ridiculous request.

"That's what I thought," he said seriously, drawing himself up. "You're a bit more solid, but you look like my mother when she was a child."

"More solid? I don't—" she began, but he put his finger to her lips to shush her. As he pulled it away, she saw a bit of her lipstick remained as if she had kissed his finger.

"You know more than you're willing to admit," Rintaro said solemnly, resting a hand on her shoulder. "And I will have the answer, whether you're kin or not, girl or not, hurt or not. That much you should know. I don't joke around when it comes to stuff like this."

A loud scream stifled any possible response she could have had for him as they both turned towards the alley.

* * *

The moment they had fallen, Seiko shouted for help. It arrived faster than Mayako could have anticipated. A red-tinted, shiny steel Louisville Slugger smashed Mayako's left arm as she lay stunned after the collision. She screamed as the pain overwhelmed her senses, but the second half of it caught in her throat, and she miserably rolled away from her attacker's second swing. Quickly somersaulting to her feet, Mayako nearly buckled at the knees and fell as her first wave of pain tore at her consciousness, even as her eyes brimmed full of tears.

Through the haze of agony, Mayako backed herself into the corner of the alley, barely able to stand, as she confronted not two, but three people. The grin on Shoji's face showed no ounce of discomfort in using the Slugger, which rested in his fists. Seiko still lay behind him, silently trying to pull herself together as a dark young man helped her stand. Although she could not remember his name, the dark one posed less a threat than the bat in Shoji's hands.

Breathing steadily as she fought to remain upright, Mayako warily wedged herself into the corner between brick building and the fence. She watched Shoji like a hawk as he cautiously stepped toward her. Mayako was not prepared to let him gather into another attack without hurting Shoji really badly. She gritted her teeth as she made her move. The attack must have caught Shoji by surprise, as he only managed to pull his arms back into a swing before Mayako bounded off the corner and charged him. Punching him directly in the Adam's apple with a right-handed, open-fisted strike, she put every ounce of her strength into the attack. The man dropped the bat as he grasped his neck, falling backwards on his heels.

The dark man caught Shoji from falling, but wasted little time in turning the move into an attack. In a surprise move, he roughly pushed Shoji back at Mayako who had no time to dodge. Instead, she channeled Shoji's energy backwards and rolled with the hapless teenager, kicking him off her in midair as she flipped to her feet. Dizzy from the effort required to perform the maneuver, Mayako fell to her knees.

When he drew close enough, Mayako caught sight of Michio's boyish face a moment before he drew his leg back. The splintering pain in her arm quelled for a moment as new agony registered on her face. The bottom of Michio's foot caught her in the eye, spinning her around like a top to land on her back. She nearly lost consciousness again as the tears began to pour down her cheek. Mayako did not even have enough energy to cry as she looked up past the swelling of her right eye into the face of Michio.

He seemed to say something above her, but his voice sounded as if he shouted from one length of a football field to her on the other. Suddenly feeling inexhaustibly tired, Mayako closed her eyes and lapsed into unconsciousness.

* * *

The cry shook Rintaro as he crouched near Kimiko. Kimiko tried to push herself up even considering the pain she must have been experiencing. He stopped her by pressing his index finger against her shoulder. The weight made her fall back to her butt, catching her by surprise.

"Mayako could be hurt!" she protested, glaring up at Rintaro with her deep blue eyes.

"You sit here," he told her and stood. "I'll make sure she's all right. It might have been the girl that Mayako was fighting."

"I don't think so," she replied, starting to stand. "I don't trust you."

"Fine," Rintaro agreed, briskly walking deeper into to alley. He felt a tingling on the back of his neck as he turned the left corner into the portion of the way that opened up into a parking lot. He heard the shuffling steps of Kimiko behind him as he passed the opening and followed the chain link fence to the dead end where Mayako and Seiko had been fighting.

The sight that awaited him caught him by surprise. Mayako lay on the cracked concrete floor of the alley, her torso twisted around facing away from him, her legs spread-eagled in front, where a small pool of blood began to form. Seiko stood, supported by the loudmouth Shoji, while a young man whose name Rintaro could not recall stood in front of her. None of the teenagers saw him as he approached, and he would not give them the chance.

The one standing over Mayako fell to a quick shoulder lunge. His nose exploded with blood as he flew into the corner of the alley. Seiko and Shoji barely reacted before Rintaro caught the male in the chest with an open palm, which sent both of them into the chain link fence. The clatter of metal rang loud as he looked down to see a bloody katana, most likely a family heirloom, falling from the hand of Seiko. He eyed it suspiciously before sweeping his gaze over Mayako.

"Mayako!" Kimiko yelled with the pitch of her voice, sending a chill down Rintaro's spine. The wounded girl rushed to the aid of her friend, quickly checking the Tendou child's condition.

With Mayako in good care, Rintaro turned toward his prey. The unknown one had already started jumping over the brick wall, so Rintaro allowed him to leave. Shoji did not react quickly enough, for he climbed the fence too slowly to evade Rintaro. Kicking the blade up into his hands, Rintaro struck the pest in the side with the flat of the blade, sending the teenager reeling to the concrete. Seiko fared less well, as she was barely able to lift the baseball bat that had been hidden behind her.

"I hope you don't think you can win with that," Rintaro said evenly.

Seiko did not respond, but merely held it in defense. Her eyes saw not him, but the weapon held in his grasp. Something about the look made him wonder. She did not seem too frightened about her safety as she eyed the blade in his hands with trepidation and yet some hint of jealousy. After the briefest moment, she looked up into his eyes and then he knew she started to feel the dread.

"I suppose this is your family's blade?" Rintaro asked, resting his arm by wedging the tip of the blade into a crack in the concrete. "I wonder what brought it all the way out here to a duel between two—oh sorry, four people."

Her eyes never left the blade as she responded, "What do you want?" The look of concern grew to outrage as she stared at his use of her sword.

"An eye," he replied, watching Shoji as the boy pushed himself to his feet. Rintaro smiled sinuously at the two, as they stood petrified with fear from his answer. "For an eye. I mean to hurt you for hurting my friends here. I let the lot of you get carried away, and now I am going to make regret breaking your word."

"Damn, Saotome, she's not gonna die!" Shoji shouted at him, holding his side. "Give me that bat, Seiko!"

Seiko tossed Shoji the baseball bat, which he caught effortlessly. The two looked like trapped wolverines, but Rintaro considered them nothing more than cornered squirrels. He nonchalantly watched them, feigning disinterest in them as he rested the weight of his body on the katana, testing its strength.

"Just let us go, Saotome," Seiko nearly whispered, holding herself up with one hand on the chain link fence behind her. "I swear I won't come near her again."

"I don't believe liars," he retorted.

"Believe this, traitor!" Shoji shouted, swinging his bat rather accurately at Rintaro's midsection.

Parrying with the flat of the blade, Rintaro channeled Shoji's energetic swing high and into the katana's hilt. The tremendous blow jarred his hand a bit, but the maneuver produced the desired effect. The force of Shoji's swing smashed the blade right above the hilt, rending the sword in half.

"No!" Seiko screamed as she watched the bat bludgeon the katana into two pieces. With all of her pain forgotten, she rushed through Shoji and launched the desperate attack that Rintaro had hoped to provoke. Not even giving her a chance to swing, Rintaro sidestepped her charge and struck her in the back with the pommel of the katana. She fell to the concrete like a discarded toy.

Shoji stared at his partner as she fell, his eyes wide with terror. As Rintaro approached him, he took a step away, the bat held loosely in his shaking hands. He looked towards his attacker with desperation in his stance.

"Shoji Watanabe," Rintaro said with disdain. He approached the cornered teenager with the pommel of the katana still held in his hands. Anger started bubbling up in him as he thought of the teen striking Mayako with his bat. He continued threatening Shoji. "I should kill you for what you did to Mayako."

"Do it then," Shoji bluffed, his knees knocking together slightly as he held himself into the wall. "Do your worst, Saotome."

"This is unlike you," Rintaro replied, forcing a smile. "I thought you'd have tried to climb away, squealing like a piglet. But it seems you've simply traded swine for the likeness of a cornered rabbit. So, rabbit, what will be your first move?"

"Just finish him and help me, Rintaro," Kimiko urged. "I think Mayako needs to see a doctor."

Almost catching Rintaro off-guard by the oddness of his attack, Shoji took a giant step forward and swung his bat with all his might. The arc of the swing angled towards Rintaro's head, which the martial artist simply ducked underneath, redirecting his energy forward into a ferocious head-butt. The blow sent Shoji stumbling back into the fence, knocked completely out of breath. He fell to the ground gasping as Rintaro threw the broken sword at the teen. The hilt struck him in the forehead, knocking the boy out.

"That was pretty brutal," Kimiko commented gravely, her eyes not even staring up at Rintaro as she applied pressure to Mayako's neck. "While you were playing around, I think I figured out what's wrong with her. Her left arm's broken, and she has a concussion. The cut on her left leg is shallow, but could use some bandaging.

"Can we move her?" Rintaro inquired, kneeling by Mayako. He grimaced at the purple bruise across her face.

"We'll have to splint her arm somehow," the redhead said looking around. "Grab the broken katana and dull the edge. I'd use the bat, but it'd be too hard to tie to her arm to it with just scraps of cloth." Her brows furrowed and she looked at him strangely. "Wait, why don't we just call an ambulance? They can handle this better than I can."

"Yeah, but then we'd all be spending a month in juvenile hall," Rintaro replied quickly, looking around at the two people next to him. "I'll call it if their friends don't collect them first."

Kimiko only nodded. He thought he would have to explain himself further, but apparently she did not wish to spend a month behind bars any more than he did. "Damn, I wish they wouldn't have popped the tires. It'd be a lot easier to move her with a bike."

As he grabbed what was left of the blade, he noticed that Seiko stirred, trying to force herself up. He ignored her this time, and she paid him only enough mind to avoid him as she stumbled over to Shoji, slapping his face repeatedly until he woke. As Rintaro began to saw the blade on the concrete, the two staggered away.

"Hey, wait!" Kimiko yelled after them, jumping to her feet more sprightly than he thought she would have been able. She took off after them, without explanation. Rintaro merely continued with his task, ignoring her exit.

* * *

When Kimiko saw Mayako's attackers start to flee the scene, the thought occurred to her that one of them might have a bike she could 'borrow' to transport Mayako. She felt light-headed as she tried to catch up to the pair, but as she turned the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks. Five figures stood in front of her, though the two she chased would not be putting up much of a fight. Michio, Kojiro and Jotaro had gathered at the point where five bikes rested against the brick wall near the entrance of the alley.

Kimiko spun on her heels, but could not reverse her motion in time to avoid their first attack. A small object struck her in the lower back, hard enough to send her stumbling into the brick wall in front of her, striking her head. She fell backwards, barely managing to perform a half-roll to break her fall.

"You're going to pay!" she heard someone shout through a haze. "Oh shit, let's get out of here!" sounded off next as she heard her enemies escaping. Kimiko felt too dizzy to even try to stand, or even sit. She merely lay there.

"Not smart, Nishiyama-san," Rintaro said softly in her ear. "Now you're the one with a concussion."

Not feeling inclined to respond, she ignored him, fighting off the daze in her head.

Something from behind him caught Rintaro off-guard as she felt him spin to meet the new challenge. The newcomer's voice shouted out in anger, but the words failed to make sense. She tried to will herself to see who approached, turning sidewise. Akane seemed to stand there, limned in her bright red aura.

* * *

Sweat dripped into Kenichi's face as he peddled through the lunch hour traffic. He'd borrowed the bike from a friend that he had worked with up until ten minutes ago when his employer had fired him for leaving early. As fast as he could, Kenichi rode to the train, barely catching it and exiting the vehicle at the next stop. The ride had nearly cost him his life several times already at the speed he traveled through the pedestrians and cars.

He only required another minute to arrive at his destination; his adrenalin rush had faded and his body had begun to ache with fatigue. The thought of the most important woman in his life and his heart's desire both needing his help drew him to pedal harder. Kimiko's rushed phone call had set his heart racing. What kind of trouble could make the two capable martial artists require his help?

Suddenly the crowd parted, giving him a wide girth of area. At the same moment, he realized he'd found the boutique with the incomprehensible English words that Kimiko mentioned in her phone call. He scanned the street, noticing two bags in front of the shop next to a pair of familiar pumps. Fairly close to those, a few bloodstains painted the otherwise white walkway. The lack of pedestrian traffic made sense. No one would wish to be caught up in a fight, nor would they like to be arrested for being too near. He scanned around a bit more and spotted his and Mayako's bicycles tethered to a bike rack.

His skin turned to goose flesh as his eyes followed the logical place for a brawl to take place: the alley. After placing the pair of heels in a bag, Kenichi carried them and walked his bike towards the alley. The walk seemed eternally slow as he crossed the emptied street.

A siren lifted into the air like a mourning child at the death of a parent, signaling Kenichi's need to quicken his pace and find his sister and Kimiko. The tap of his shoes against the concrete sidewalk at the edge of the alley began to echo as he passed the buildings on either side of him.

He walked to the end of the alley to a scene he could not have expected, dropping both bags beside him and leaving his bike against the alley wall. The shards of a broken sword lay scattered amongst a few small pools of blood. Beyond that, his sister lay immobile, sprawled out on her back. His heart fell into his stomach as he ran to her. A buzzing noise in the back of his head filled in the silence that surrounded him.

Feeling his sister's neck for a pulse, he found one to his utter relief. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically beneath her bloodstained blouse as well, giving him a second to take in a deep breath. Lifting back her eyelids, he saw her reddened and tear-stained eyes and the tops of her dilating pupils. Taking in the rest of her, he wondered who could have hurt her so badly. Bruises covered her petite face, accented by a giant black eye.

Kenichi tried to slow his breathing, but he felt anger simmer in his blood. Rarely did he let his emotions take control, but finding Mayako as she was infuriated him beyond his breaking point. No one short of Rintaro and Kimiko could have ever taken her fairly, and even then he doubted either of them could possibly do this to her. He needed to find someone to blame.

As if picking up to the pace, his heart beat like a drum as he heard noise from around the next bend in the alley. Fury slowed his awareness to a crawl as he left his sister and rounded the corner looking for her attacker.

Adding insult to injury, someone left Kimiko lying nearly face down on the concrete, her elbows keeping her head from the ground. Her short skirt climbed embarrassingly high on her thighs, and her blouse looked ruined. With the alley empty but for her and the figure kneeling beside her, Kenichi burned to fight someone. Rintaro turned and stood to face the young man, his dispassionate face even more infuriating.

"What the hell happened here?" Kenichi swore, squeezing his hands into tight fists.

With a nonchalant shrug, Rintaro met his question with cool indifference. "They weren't careful. It doesn't matter now, though. It's over."

Kenichi did not care that he had never beaten Rintaro in his life, nor that the Saotome probably was not the one who had hurt two of the most important people in his life. All that mattered to him was that Rintaro was here, standing, unhurt and a big target.

"Damn you!" Kenichi caught Rintaro off-guard, barreling into him with a quick elbow jab. Rintaro fell over Kimiko, who responded with a grunt. He would apologize to her later. Right now he had a jerk-off's ass to kick. Hate swelled through him, and he liked it.

"What the hell?" Rintaro shouted, outraged as Kenichi leapt over the redhead and tried to pounce on his former friend. Rintaro rolled out of the way and quickly got to his feet.

Kenichi did not let up a second, pushing off the wall and into Rintaro with a quick front kick. Having just stood up, Kenichi's target had a scant amount of time to react. The blow caught Rintaro's right hip, spinning him to the side as Kenichi kicked through him. Showing him the back of his fist, Kenichi caught Rintaro in the lip, causing a splash of blood to splatter his fist.

Rintaro stumbled back in retreat.

"Stop being so smug, you asshole!" Kenichi shouted, his blood cooling slightly at the sight of his friend's blood.

"Okay, I guess I deserved that," Rintaro admitted, rubbing his hip with his left hand and his lip with his right. "But if you try anything else, I'm going to rip your arm out of its socket."

"How could you let someone hurt them like that?" Kenichi demanded, threatening him with a step forward.

"It wasn't any of my business," Rintaro replied seriously, crossing his arms over his chest. "They had an argument with the girls, and it wasn't mine to interfere."

"Was it Jotaro?" Kenichi asked, his anger rising again. Rintaro had no right to let them fight in an alley by themselves. Jotaro and his friends were notorious for back stabbing in the middle of a duel. Rintaro would have known that.

"Kimiko beat him and Kojiro pretty well, but took a hard lick. She's only dizzy right now because she tried to chase down the lot of them. She'll shake it off in a few."

"And?"

"Seiko did a real number on your sister. She had a blade. Even then, she needed two of her friends to take Maya-chan down. I think Shoji broke her left arm with a bat. She might need a doctor, but she's okay at the moment. But that's the least of our problems."

Kenichi rushed back over to Mayako who seemed OK, but for the bruising and a torn pant leg with a shallow cut along her left leg. He shook her gently, and she stirred, but her eyes still remained closed. He sighed softly, sadly pressing the back of his hand to her bruised cheek.

"The enforcers are going to tear us a new one if we don't get out of here quick," Rintaro warned from around the bend. "I know it's not good to move your sister and all, but I'd rather she see a family doctor than a Gen. Med."

Although he hated to agree with Rintaro, he had to. In addition to a General Medical doctor treating his sister and Kimiko, they would get the unwelcome bonus of a fine for disturbing the peace. Plus, General Medical doctors were not the friendliest of people, paid out of the pockets of taxpayers at a general rate for their less-than-enthusiastic service.

"Aunt Kasumi's house is the closest," Rintaro instructed, rounding the corner with a conscious redhead supported on his right arm. Kimiko looked confused with her eyes unfocused and dancing between Rintaro and Kenichi. She walked with a slight limp, but looked well enough to continue on.

After positioning her hurt left arm on her chest, Kenichi gingerly put his forearms underneath Mayako's backside and neck, gently lifting her. Mumbling softly, she nuzzled her head into the nape of his neck. Kissing her forehead, he carried her to where he had left his borrowed bike.

"You good to walk to the train, Red?" Rintaro asked of Kimiko as he passed Kenichi. Kenichi saw her nod after a moment. "Nichi, our bikes have flats. You ride on ahead with Maya-chan. Think you can do that?"

Kenichi considered it. He had ridden with people before, but did not know if he could take his sister without hurting her more. He knew he definitely could not carry her the whole way. He looked at his sister's face, torn between staying for an ambulance and attempting to ride her all the way to their Aunt's house.

As he turned to Rintaro, he saw the two of them walking their bikes over to him briskly.

"Well?" Rintaro asked impatiently. "We really need to get a move on it."

"I don't think I can do it, Rintaro," Kenichi said solemnly, watching his sister sleep in his arms. "You two get out of here. I'll wait here with Mayako for an ambulance."

"Oh, just give her to me," the impatient young man said leaving Mayako's bike up against the wall. "I can do it."

"Are you sure?" Kenichi asked, reluctant to give his unconscious sister to someone who had let her down once already. "I don't know."

"I swear I'll get her to Aunt Kasumi's no worse than she is now," Rintaro promised with a sincerity Kenichi rarely heard in his voice. He looked over his shoulder to Kimiko. She held her head in her hands, but appeared mostly all right now.

Kenichi nodded, holding Mayako out to the young man. Rintaro took her gently into his arms and then walked over to the borrowed bike, and sat down on it, resting the girl on his lap. With one hand he gripped the handlebars and with the other he held her. In an amazing feat of dexterity, Rintaro kicked off and rode at a quick pace down the alley and out of sight.

The sirens were almost upon them as Kenichi appraised Kimiko, as she covered her face. He walked up to her and softly took her arm, pulling a hand from her face. She straightened her back as he did this, squinting her eyes at him. The girl had escaped the brawl without a black eye, but a dark bruise painted her right cheek.

"Are you okay?" Kenichi asked her.

"Yeah, let's just go," she whispered, turning her head from him. Grabbing one of the bikes, she walked barefoot down the alley.

Kenichi picked up the shopping bags and hooked them over his left shoulder. He followed her, walking briskly with Mayako's bike to catch up to Kimiko. As she walked ahead of him, Kimiko limped less than she had before, moving quickly through the alley.

The wail faded from his ears as the clear sky and radiant sun warmed Kenichi from his foul mood. Reminding him of his empty stomach, street vendors lined the walk as the couple briskly marched in single file. It did not seem to pique Kimiko's interest as she calmly walked by them, the limp in her step having faded as they kept moving.

They came to a wide intersection, where Kimiko stopped. She did not turn to face him, but he understood she meant him to lead now. People passed her on either side and he waited until they cleared until he walked his bike beside her. She looked over to him now, her bruised right cheek shining next to him.

"Thank you, Kenichi," she whispered, and then reached up and put one of her small hands on his left shoulder.

Placing a hand on top of hers, he patted it, even though he did not know what she was thankful for. "You're welcome, but for what?"

"For coming," she replied quietly, her tired eyes staring into his. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble for you." Her lips curved somewhat into a smile as he shrugged.

"That doesn't matter," Kenichi replied, squeezing her hand gently. He liked the feel of it on his shoulder. "What matters is that both of you are okay." His concern really stuck with his sister, though, as her condition seemed much worse. Kenichi could do nothing for her at the moment, except to hope she was not too hurt. He trusted Rintaro would get her to Kasumi's house. Aunt Kasumi would know what to do. After all, she was a nurse at a local doctor's office.

Kimiko's hand lingered for a moment more, and then fell, sliding down his sleeve heavily until she broke contact.

* * *

More to come soon! Check my profile to see the status of my writing. I update it daily.


	11. Part Three: Sayonara (4 of 8)

**Misery Loves Company**  
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Part Three: Sayonara  
(4 of 8)

Kenichi's cheeks reddened a bit when she released his hand. He bowed his head, staring down for a second. She ignored the crowd around her, staring at his face. It still amazed her how much he reminded her of Akane. For a second time, she mistook the boy for her former fiancée. Given the fact she had been dazed during that moment, she wondered what could cause her to see him as the woman she had lost to the sands of time.

Kimiko took a deep breath, reclining her head. The sun warmed her cheeks as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the light. She exhaled and looked back at Kenichi who held her pumps in his hand.

"Do you want your shoes?" he asked her.

Kimiko shook her head. She would be better off without the balancing act today. She still felt a bit dizzy from striking her head on the brick wall.

"I'm better off barefoot at the moment," she replied, looking forward. The street seemed less crowded than it had before. "Let's go to your Aunt's house."

Her young friend led the way, taking a right at the intersection. He had a vigor in his step that made Kimiko think. His image blurred a moment, so she rubbed her eyes, realizing nothing around him seemed as fuzzy as he did. Something about him made her feel not quite herself, though she imagined he felt the same way, but for different reasons.

The walk calmed her as the pleasant sensation of warmth from the sun-heated concrete traveled up her legs. Her mind focused on Kenichi as she watched him walk ahead of her, trying to figure him out. He did not act like the usual boys who fancied her, but she knew that he at least had some not-quite-so platonic feelings for her. The kiss they had inadvertently shared in the koi pond proved that much. She still regretted that, though it did not bother her as much now.

She did not want him to get the wrong message of her intentions for him, but at the same time, she did not know what those were. Conflicted at the center of her heart, Kimiko hated to admit she felt something more than friendship. It was not love, she knew, nor attraction. Could his likeness to Akane be giving her this feeling? After all, Kimiko still loved the woman fiercely, though that feeling had changed to one of concern.

With a sigh, Kimiko shook her head, a bit downcast. What were her intentions towards him? She found her own feelings a mystery to herself. Ever since she had arrived here, mistaking him for Akane, something had been developing between them. She remembered the first night they shared together no matter how brief, under the stars as she waited for her taxi. That beautiful night she spent thinking of Akane, while her son warmed her body with his presence.

_Get a __hold of yourself!_ she thought fiercely. How could she think about him as if that dream she had of him could possibly come true? She had a date with Jusenkyo that would reverse this curse over her, returning her to her proper form, though something in her mind nagged her. What if she could not become male again? What then?

Maybe she should have a sincere conversation with him and clear some things up, like his feelings for her. Even more importantly, she had to crystallize her feelings for him.

Kenichi held his bike on the left of himself, as she did, so she walked around the bike she led and stepped up her pace. After a moment, she walked beside him. She caught his glance, and his smile. Her heart skipped a beat and she swallowed in preparation. She wondered how direct she should be.

"Something on your mind?" he asked, his face less serious than it had been before. His thoughts must have been on his sister's condition. Kimiko hoped the girl would be fine. Mayako seemed to have taken a beating, but if she had a fraction of Akane's resilience, Kimiko knew she would okay.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Kimiko returned, biting her lower lip after she said it. "I was thinking about the last few days I've spent here with you—and your family." She added the last part quickly, her nerve fading a bit.

"Very interesting times, huh?" he said grimly. "I'm really sorry about all the fighting. Between Rintaro and those bastards in the alley, I'm surprised we haven't all been to the hospital."

_You would be surprised,_ she thought, remembering her less-than-cheery meeting with Ryouga and the day she had spent in a hospital bed.

Straying from that line of thought, she pushed their conversation further. "It's not your fault, Kenichi. Trouble finds me wherever I go." She paused a moment, looking over at him, her heart beating quicker. It felt like someone was holding her jaw shut as she quietly spoke. "But that's not what I meant."

They stopped at a crosswalk. Kenichi put one arm up in the air to stretch. "What did you mean, then?"

Kimiko almost wished he had not heard her, but gritted her teeth. Why should she bring it up? It was not like she would see him again for a long time, if ever. As they started to cross the street, she realized she probably would not be able to tell him anyway.

"Nothing, forget I said it."

As they stepped over the curb and walked down the sidewalk further, Kenichi brought the subject up anyway. "You can't keep me in suspense like this!" She watched him grab his chest and cough with exaggerated motions. He added after a moment, more seriously this time, "You can tell me."

With a deep breath, Kimiko mentally prepared herself. She exhaled slowly, looking away. "Well, what I meant was...was that I've been thinking...about..." As her face grew warm, she felt her jaw clench as she tried to mouth the word, but Kenichi finished it for her.

"About...us?"

The moment he said that, a lump formed in the pit of her stomach, as she felt her face flush. She figured that she probably looked like a lobster right about now, and Kenichi's warm brown eyes did not help matters. A glance at his face showed he did not look embarrassed at all. Rather, Kenichi smiled at her.

"Do you want to stop somewhere and talk about this?" he asked her, looking about the area they were in.

"Let's just keep walking," Kimiko said, regaining a bit of her spine. _Just suck it up and say it,_ she commanded herself.

"If it's about agreeing to just be friends," Kenichi began, his voice seemingly calm in the face of the subject matter. Kimiko wondered how much of it was him putting on a happy face to make her feel better. "You don't have to worry. I know you want to take your time. So don't sweat it, okay?" A bit of irritation did surface in his voice, though he hid it well.

"Why do you like me anyway?" Kimiko said, a bit exasperated. He had taken the wind out of her with the last remark, making her wonder just how much she had hurt him by rejecting his feelings for her.

They quietly walked for a few moments before Kenichi replied to her question. Kimiko felt her face growing warmer as he looked into her eyes, an expression of deep thought on his face.

"Believe it or not, Kimiko Nishiyama, you are a very intriguing person."

"How so?" she replied, her brows furrowing. Intriguing could mean too many things for her comfort. She had wondered what he saw in her, because she doubted she would see it in herself.

"You show up one day out of the blue and beat the best martial artist our age," Kenichi started, looking forward down the street. There were no longer any other pedestrians about. Sidewalks had already disappeared as they'd entered a very residential area of this ward.

"And yet you seem so fragile for such a strong person."

Kimiko frowned and turned away as he said the last, but she let him continue without interruption.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that," he apologized. She turned back to face him again. "But when you sat down with us at Ucchan's the first day, you seemed so hurt that I couldn't help but wonder, you know? And then you proved yourself to be such a powerful martial artist, despite your appearance. I mean, I saw the black belt in your suitcase when it fell out, but I never imagined how strong you could be. There just aren't that many who can stand up to some of the people around here.

"Don't look at me like that," Kenichi said with a chuckle.

"Like what?" Kimiko asked, perplexed. She had just been listening.

"You're making cute faces at me," he replied, still giggly. "If I had a mirror, I'd show you."

"Cute faces," Kimiko muttered. "Okay, so I'm a yin-yang. What's so special about that?"

"Hey, everyone has to balance out somehow," Kenichi returned. "Believe it or not, lots of people have a soft side, even that hard-ass, Rintaro. Most people don't show it to complete strangers, though...not that it's a bad thing that you did!" He added the last part after a moment. He seemed to be walking over eggshells the whole time he talked to her.

"Anyway, all of that is why I like you," Kenichi finished.

"Hah, I was expecting you to talk about my eyes while staring at my chest," Kimiko remarked, lightening up a bit. His admission affected her. Even though she hated showing weakness, he actually seemed to admire it beyond all reason.

"Well, your baby blues are gorgeous, too," he snickered, putting his free hand on her shoulder. "I'd rather not stare at your chest and test just how much butt-kicking you have left in you." They shared a laugh at that, but the mood quickly changed.

As his hand fell from her shoulder, Kenichi's attitude sobered after a moment, signaling his intention to dive back into deeper water. "I want to apologize for kissing you in the koi pond the other day."

"Don't," she told him. The thought grounded Kimiko, making her seriously consider the situation again. He really had nothing to apologize for, because she was at fault for that incident. "You have nothing to apologize for. The cold water got to my head, okay?"

"Then I'm sorry for enjoying it so much," he said quietly, his eyes a bit distant as he looked away from her. She could see a bit of the hurt bubble up again.

"If I hadn't of led you on like I did, we wouldn't even be having this conversation." She watched his face carefully after saying the words, hoping to gauge his reaction. She felt as if they had walked further and further onto dangerous ground. Her heart felt like it would explode, it was beating so hard.

"I just really thought," he began but shook his head. "No, forget about it." He kicked a rock on the sidewalk, sending it shooting down the street.

"Hey, now who's the person leaving the other in suspense?" Kimiko quipped, a smile forming on her lips. "Mentioning things and then leaving me dirt dry."

"No really, it's okay. I can tell you don't want to talk about this." He had not returned her look for a few moments now, as if he was trying to avoid her eyes. He wanted to tell her, she could see, but he did not want to press her.

"I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place, if I didn't want to talk about it. So tell me what you thought."

"All right," Kenichi said after a moment, finally turning back to face her, his eyes still downcast. "I just thought that there was something there. Between us, I mean. You really surprised me when you said you don't feel the same way. I kind of understand why you said you wanted to be just friends, but I had thought we both felt some kind of spark. You know, chemistry or whatever. It's just really frustrating trying to figure out what's going on, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. It's really not that I didn't feel anything," Kimiko whispered, her voice gaining volume with each word. "I just don't want you to get attached to me or anything. I'm leaving the country in a few days, and I don't even know if I'm ever going to come back!"

Kenichi's eyes grew wide before he replied. He must have been breathing hard, for his chest expanded and fell quickly. She must have stung him, for his eyes looked a bit watery. Wiping away whatever was there with his sleeve, Kenichi asked, "I guess that would be a bit of a problem, but is it because you don't want to come back?"

"I don't think I can come back," she said, trying very hard not to turn away from him. It hurt her watching the pain in his face. How could she do this to someone as dear as the child of Akane and the nicest young man she had ever met? It felt like plunging a knife into her own heart.

"It's something from your past, isn't it?" he asked, the pain in his eyes still showing, but much less. He moved closer to her as they walked, until their shoulders touched.

"I don't think my heart is ready for this," she said, the feeling of him so close to her that she winced. "I told myself to get over it, but every time I think I'm okay, it comes back at me in full force."

Kenichi stopped, gently linking his arm with hers. She stopped, looking back at him as he stood there, anger distorting his face. Thinking it directed towards her, she pulled away from him, but he caught her wrist as his hand slid down her arm.

"I knew it," he said, his eyes softening as he pulled her closer. Their bikes and the shopping bag fell to the ground as she stared at him almost panicking. "Someone hurt you. Someone hurt you so bad. I have felt it since we first met and I can't stand it. How could anyone do something to you? You're one of the kindest, sweetest persons I've ever met."

She almost gasped as he took both of her hands in his. They stood together with scant inches between them. "I...I..." she stuttered, unable to pull away, or unwilling. Feeling so overwhelmed, she could not even figure out her own emotions anymore.

"I could never hurt you, Kimiko-chan," he told her fiercely, meeting her stare with such emotion.

Blinking back the tears that threatened to form in her eyes, she looked away. "I know you wouldn't, Kenichi-kun. I never thought in a million years that you would. That's not what I meant at all. I'm afraid of hurting you!"

She met his bewildered eyes with all the compassion she could muster. Her heart ached almost as it had when she first realized that she had lost Akane, after recognizing the sudden truth that all of this would vanish in a matter of days, if not hours. She knew that if she regained her male body that she could never return. If she could not cure herself of the Jusenkyo curse, could she even consider returning anyway? What if it meant losing herself so fully to the curse that she fell in love with Kenichi?

"Hurt me?" he whispered, not able to comprehend her words.

She knew that falling in love with him would be inevitable if she came back. His soft manner, so very like Akane, showed through more than Akane's had. The anger she had harbored for so many years took so much time for Ranma to whittle away at, but Kenichi already at sat on the stage Akane had when they finally decided to get married.

"How could you hurt me?"

She did not want to hurt him as she had Akane. Her life left little room for making engagements with people anchored in one place. Fate seemed destined to carry her away in a fiery chariot anytime something good remained in her life. Kenichi intrigued her just as much as she must have for him. Unlike Akane, he seemed so ready to open himself up to her. She looked into his warm, brown eyes, which no longer seemed to belong to Akane at all.

Kenichi was worth all the unconditional love that anyone could offer him on his own merits. She could never slight him with her poor alternative for the love he deserved.

"When I leave, I won't come back," she whispered to him, his warmth seeming to surround her. She felt a tear slip through her defenses and down her cheek, but quickly wiped it up. Blinking away more before she turned into a sobbing mess, Kimiko gritted her teeth. She had to be strong, and she could not lie to him. "I couldn't do that to anyone here. I'd hate myself for that."

She tried to pull away, to flee, but he only pulled her closer. He held shoulders firmly, not letting her escape as she wanted to. She did not try hard, deeply wanting it all against everything. In another moment, he held her gently in his arms as she tightly wrapped hers around his waist, her head against his chest. Held as closely as she was, she never wanted to move.

"I know I don't understand what you're going through," he began, his eyes looking down at hers. "But whatever it is, I'll always welcome you no matter what happens. I swear it."

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what I can't tell you," she refuted, angry with herself more than him.

"If your leaving is so painful that you couldn't come back, why don't you just stay here?" he suggested, his eyes too serious for his own good.

"I wish I could," she said, fearing that she would cave in and agree. "But I can't. My trip to China isn't a vacation. It's a journey that I have to take if I ever want to feel peace in my life. I can't explain it any better than that."

"Then take me with you."

The intensity in his voice caught her off-guard and she pulled back slightly. She stared up at his face with a mixture of shock and fear. He seemed determined to not let go. Why did he have to make this so hard for her? "What?"

"To China. I could go with you."

Confused she looked down. He had offered to go with her. Almost stunned by the proposition, she hoped he was joking. "Don't kid like that, Kenichi-kun. It's not funny."

"I'm serious. I have a little money saved up, and I won't be missing any school since it's summer."

And he was serious. Suddenly the vision she'd had of them together flashed before her eyes. Could she allow that to happen? Was that an omen of the future? Was she supposed to make some kind of choice? The entire thing scared her. She knew she had to try to scare him away, but lying to him would be out of the question. Another guilty lie would be too much.

"I couldn't ask you to go with me," she told him softly.

"I'm the one that asked," he whispered in response, rubbing her arms. "I promise I won't be a bother to you. I need a real vacation anyway."

"What about your job?" she asked quietly.

He shrugged at that, releasing her arms. "That's really not an obstacle anymore."

"What do you mean?" she wondered, furrowing her brows with confusion.

"I was fired when I left to help you," he replied, his head bowed.

"What?" Kimiko said, her eyes opening wide. Because of her, he'd even lost his job! The very thought tore at her. She could not even visit people without ruining their lives. "I'm sorry, Kenichi. I had no idea you'd lose your job over this."

He shook his head. "Hey, I'm the one who chose to leave. No one put a knife to my throat or anything." He broke into a wry smile, if a bit forced. "Don't worry about it. It's not like it was a good job or anything." His smile faded as he began to frown. "Not that you owe me anything, but I'd much rather go with you to China than make a few extra yen and slave over a fruit store. I mean, if your brother is okay with it, and everything."

"It's none of his business," Kimiko told him, wondering if she could even think about letting him come with her. If she ever did manage to transform herself back, she would betray him worse than he could ever imagine. "But I don't know about this. Let me think about it, okay?"

He nodded, his always-ready smile back on his face, making her feel a little better. It had to be for show, though, because he seemed about as happy as a turtle rolled on its back. "Sure thing. There's no pressure or anything, even if you decide against me coming. It's just a stupid idea, after all."

"It's not that stupid," she whispered, trying to make him feel better. If only Kiyoshi had never told her that Jusenkyo had recovered, then she could consider staying here without the voice in the back of her head demanding upon her honor that she go back to that wretched training ground. She would not have to hurt him anymore either.

"You think?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, it would be a little weird having you along," she told him, Jusenkyo appearing in her mind. "But it's not a stupid idea."

Kimiko looked around the nearly empty neighborhood as if people stared from the nearby houses at her. He seemed to take notice of this as a sign she wanted to move on, which of course, she did.

"We're only a few blocks away from Aunt Kasumi's house now," he informed her, collecting the shopping bags and the bike. Kimiko lifted the bike she had been walking and set it on its tires. He weakly smiled at her.

"Give me some time to think about this," she quietly said.

"Every moment between now and when you leave."

* * *

Two things weighed down Rintaro on his flight from the scene of the crime. The weight of Mayako's body on his lap made the ride more difficult than he'd first imagined. He made balancing her possible by positioning her seated in his lap, her unhurt left arm around his waist, while sitting on her hand as lightly as he could to keep it from falling. He cradled her with his right arm, encircled around her to keep her right arm from moving. Her breath tickled his cheek as he leaned slightly so that she lay against his chest, her head on his shoulder. With incredible effort on his part, he still managed to steer the bike with his left hand.

Unlike her physical weight, the other thing that weighed him down did not affect the ride. Instead, his heart tried to balance the guilt of letting his friends down yet again. Before, the consequences had not been so strong. The constant smell of blood and sweat in Mayako's hair drove the feeling deeper within him so that he could barely tolerate it. Unlike her physical weight, this he could not balance alone. He'd never considered his conscience much of a friend before, and he supposed it did not make much of an ally when he tried to shut down all roads to his heart. His conscience held the only key to the closed gates.

Rintaro remembered the scene outside the clothing store, frowning. How could he have been so stupid as to think that Jotaro would not take advantage of him? Rintaro had walked over to sit down on one of the benches nearby the store. It only took a few moments for Jotaro to sit down next to him. His manner betrayed him. His old enemy Jotaro had been nervous.

"We need to talk, Saotome," Jotaro had told him, his eyes a bit shiftier than usual.

"So talk, Saito," he had replied coolly, though Rintaro had wanted to smash the brute's face until it caved in for good measure. The thought was fleeting, though.

"I have a score to settle with this redhead of yours." The words still burned in his ears. Rintaro had known Jotaro was going to play him, but he had listened anyway.

"So why should I care?" he'd replied, giving an air of indifference, pushing his hand through his bangs, affording him a scan of the area. A spiky bleached blond head had caught his attention momentarily before he looked back at Jotaro.

"Isn't she some kind of friend of yours?" the dark-eyed boy had asked.

"Not really," Rintaro had replied. "She's Kenichi Tendou's, though, so I wouldn't play too hard. You know who his friends are."

"So, then, you won't mind if we rough her up a bit?" Jotaro had said with a smirk on his face. The look had doubled Rintaro's urge to smash the boy's face. One thing had kept him in check, though.

"Like I said, Saito, play at your own risk."

"How about Mayako?"

"You touch her, and I will personally deliver your spleen to your grandparents." It had been half threat and half bluff. He might not have ripped out his spleen, but hair ripped from his skull might have suited.

"Come on, now," Jotaro had smoothly said, playing whatever hand he thought he held. "Seiko wants a piece of her, one on one. She has a legitimate beef with your woman. You wouldn't want Mayako to know certain things about you that you've kept from her."

Two inches separated Jotaro from his death had he spoke a word more. His eyes had contained a cool confidence that Rintaro would have made sure did not last long.

"Your lease on life would be over, should your lips spill that which you shouldn't know," Rintaro had stated simply, meaning it implicitly. "Not many would bat their eyes over your missing persons report."

"Don't be like that, Saotome," Jotaro said, a crack forming in his armor of coolness in the form of big droplet of sweat sliding down his forehead. "We both know I'm not going to say a word, because Seiko is going to have the duel she wanted. And you won't interfere in either fight. Neither girl will be hurt too bad."

And so that had been that. With his lips sealed and his hands tied behind his back, Rintaro had watched Kimiko beat the living daylights out of Jotaro and his blond friend. Unfortunately, in the selfishness of his desire to make nice with Mayako once more, he put her safety aside for a secret he should have never kept from anyone. One too many drinks at a party he should never have attended had put him in a position he never should have been in.

At the time, Mayako and he had been an item. At the end of ninth grade, before he went to high school, their relationship started to snowball into an avalanche of distrust and hurtful words. His guilt had built to the point where he did not want to hold it in any longer, and when they had broken up, it disappeared for a time. He'd never wanted to betray her, and had never planned on fading away from his friends. It just happened that ignoring feelings was easier than dealing with them.

Breaking up with Mayako meant severing his friendship with Kenichi. The twins were two sides of the same coin. Once he fell out of grace with them, Ryosei joined suite, his desire for Mayako overshadowing his friendship with Rintaro. Mai followed Kenichi, and Reiko...was well, Reiko. She never got the whole thing and still treated him fairly, though more warily than she had before.

_Who __needs __friends?_ he constantly had to ask himself. Self-delusion was a powerful tool for the weak. Rintaro knew himself to be the weakest link in the friendship between the Saotome and Tendou families.

_I never meant to be a jerk, or hurt her. I never wanted her to get hurt. Sometimes things work out like that._

"Ah, no, please!" Mayako woke with a start, her head flying back and striking Rintaro in the jaw. He almost lost balance on the bike, but quickly regained his balance.

"Good morning," Rintaro said softly, weaving around a few pedestrians the moment he had the bike under control again. "Try not to move around so much or we'll both fall."

He glanced down at her black and blue face and felt a spike of guilt shoot up his spine. Her wide brown eyes sparkled with alert confusion as they darted back and forth.

"Rintaro?" she whispered, adjusting herself against him.

"Yes," he replied, helping prop her back up straight with the hand that held her.

"Where are we?"

"About three blocks from Aunt Kasumi's," he responded, slowing his pace to keep easier balance as she wiggled in his grasp. "How do you feel?"

"Like someone mistook me for their punching bag," she said followed by a hiccup. "My arm is killing me. What happened? My head's all fuzzy."

"You fought Seiko in the alley," he told her. "Don't you remember?"

"Oh hell!" she exclaimed trying to lift her right arm with a small yelp. "My face! Did she cut me up?"

"No, I stopped them from play plastic surgeon with your face," Rintaro said, feeling miserable. "But you have a really nasty black eye."

"That's nothing compared to what Seiko promised to do to me," Mayako whispered, pressing up against him tightly, enabling him to put both hands on the handle bars. His heart betrayed him and started beating like drums in a rock song. "I knew you wouldn't let them."

His stomach seemed to flip around as he gritted his teeth. He wished he could have stopped them before they'd hurt her as they had. God, how he wished for a time machine to take back everything; to not have slept with that little bitch who'd taken advantage of him while he was drunk; to tell her he loved her.

"You shouldn't be so serious all the time," Mayako said, snuggling up to him. "You saved the girl, after all."

In a burst of conscience-laced insanity, his mouth opened to confess everything. He could no longer accept her blissful ignorance of his evil. "I have to tell you something, Mayako. Please wait until I finish before you hate me, okay?"

"It's not possible for me to hate you, Rin-chan," she said with a purr, her hand finding a comfortable point just above his left hip.

He started at the beginning, his eyes growing misty with the memories. "You remember that party we went to right before we broke up? Where we had that fight about me having too much to drink?"

"Oh, don't bring up all that old baggage," she said, pouting with her puppy dog eyes staring up at him. "I don't care about any of that anymore. We were just dumb."

"Not about that, about what happened afterward." He looked down at her. She looked away, her brows furrowing with displeasure. He had to continue and tell her all. "You were right after all. I woke up next to Yusa not remembering anything. I could never tell you no matter how hard I tried. The words just never came."

Mayako remained silent, but she still held him tightly, which was a good sign.

"I didn't watch over you today, because Jotaro threatened to tell you about it. I let you fight Seiko without any backup, because I didn't want you to know. I did exactly what I was trying not to do: hurt you more. But it was all just my selfish desire to get you back again.

"I threw everything away, because I didn't have the guts to tell you. It all came back down to me not being able to live with myself. I'm so sorry, Mayako. I never wanted any of this, but it all just spiraled out of control before I knew it." Rintaro paused and noticed she had been silent the entire time. He looked down to make sure she still was awake. Her eyes were closed, but she still held onto him. He spotted a tear glistening on her cheek.

"Are you still awake, Maya-chan?" he asked, praying for it. He doubted that he could ever build enough nerve to say it again.

"I am," she said in a small voice.

"Aren't you mad?"

"Yeah," she said, opening sparkling eyes.

"Can you ever forgive me?" he asked, hoping against all that she'd say yes. He had been certain she would be too furious to ever speak to him again if she ever found out.

"I don't know. I'm still mad you didn't ever tell me, but it's not like I didn't know afterward."

That gave him a second's pause. How could she have known? She had never brought it up before in any of their fights after the incident. Had all of this been for nothing?

"But what we had, I wouldn't have thrown our relationship away for you being a stupid baka one night with that slut. I was angry for a while, especially that you didn't trust me enough to tell me. You trying to deceive me later is what really hurt. That you were willing to throw everything away, rather than just come clean and try to work through it."

"I'm sorry," he repeated, stopping in front of their destination.

Reiko's house seemed like a mansion compared to the Tendou estate. There had to be at least ten rooms in the place, with an equal amount of bathrooms and studies. The front gate stood slightly ajar, so he stopped in front of it, juggling Mayako against his left arm so that he could kick it open.

"I already let all that go though, so let's not dwell on the past."

"How can you be so forgiving?" Rintaro demanded, hating that she was not angry enough to sate his guilt. "I've spent two years trying to break away from your family completely, never giving you the time of day. And all this time, you've known? And you still forgive me? I don't understand."

Mayako remained silent as he pedaled to the front porch of the house and stopped at the door, managing to reach and press the doorbell with his free arm.

"I haven't forgiven you completely, yet. And my heart isn't for you to understand," she said cryptically. "Don't go spoiling your second chance with your self-pity."

Lifting her into his arms, he still managed to knock the kickstand in place with a swift strike of his right foot.

"You shouldn't ever forgive me," he said, still unable to accept the fact that they could get back together.

"Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do, Rin-chan," she commanded him with all of her queenly power. "I'm not a doll here to please your every desire. I chose to try to start forgiving you a while ago, but you've been too blinded to see it. You need to learn to forgive yourself before you can look for it from others."

Her last words he imprinted upon his heart, as Reiko opened the door.

"What happened?" she nearly shouted, immediately swinging the door open for them to come in. "Oh, my poor Maya-chan. Are you okay, honey?"

"I think so," Mayako unconvincingly said as she clung to Rintaro with her left arm. Having brought her all this way made him feel slightly better about everything, but not good enough to forgive himself, yet.

"She's pretty beaten up," Rintaro informed the brunette. "Her right arm is probably broken, and she has at least one concussion. Is Aunt Kasumi home? She really needs to take a look at her."

"She's at the hospital right now," Reiko answered as she rushed ahead through the foyer and into the hall that split the bottom floor of the house. Rintaro followed her into the guest bedroom, where she cleared about a half-dozen pillows from the bed onto the floor. He walked around to the right side of the bed and set Mayako down on it gently.

"I'll go call my mom," Reiko muttered, looking distracted by all the bruises over Mayako's body. "I'll be right back."

Reiko then left the couple alone. For all of the pain she had suffered today, Mayako still grinned at Rintaro. He shook his head, and he could not help but smile back.

* * *

Reiko dialed the hospital where her mom worked as soon as she picked up the receiver. As it rang, she walked back towards the guest room where Rintaro had carried Mayako. Her heart beat quickly as she entered the room. Rintaro had drawn a chair up to the right side of the bed as he leaned over Mayako. He withdrew the moment he saw her re-enter the room.

She stood in the doorway, resting her back against the wall as she navigated through a sea of automated questions, finally just pressing the 0 key to talk to an operator.

"Nerima General Hospital," the female operator said in a cheery voice. "How can I direct this call?"

"I need to talk to my mother, who is a nurse at your hospital. Her name is Kasumi Tendou." Reiko waited as she heard a click on the line.

"Front desk, what can I do for you?"

Reiko took a deep breath and repeated herself. This time the operator checked up on her mother. After a moment, the voice returned.

"I'm sorry, but your mother has already left for home. Do you want me to leave her a message?"

"No, but thank you," she whispered into the line and then hung up.

"She not coming?" Rintaro asked after a moment.

With a shake of her head, Reiko dialed her mom's cell phone number. It rang three times before someone picked up.

"Kasumi Tendou?" her mother's voice said from the other side of the line.

"Mom!" Reiko exclaimed, her heart picking up speed again. "We need you home quick. Mayako's been hurt! She's at our house right now!"

"Oh my!" her mother replied. "I was already on my way home, from the train. How bad is she?"

Reiko walked over to the left side of the bed, sitting down next to Mayako. "Rintaro said he thinks her left arm is broken and she has some concussions. She seems to be asleep now, but she was awake when he brought her in."

"Hmm, okay, just keep her comfortable," her mother told her. "Be careful not to move her arm unless you have to! I should be home in five minutes. I'll catch a cab. Call me again if anything happens. Bye-bye."

"Okay, mom. Bye-bye!"

She hung up the phone and set it on a table beside the bed. Leaning over the hurt girl, Reiko pushed Mayako's raven bangs out of her face, and then wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"She's coming?" Rintaro sat on the edge of his seat, staring at Mayako with more concern in his face than she had seen in a long time.

"Yes, she should be here very soon," Reiko said, looking at Mayako's injured right arm curiously. Mayako had it angled away from her body slightly, yet it appeared odd. "It is broken, but it seems funny somehow. Could she have dislocated it, too?"

Furrowing his brows, Rintaro leaned over to look at her arm. "Huh, I don't know. I didn't think to check. Check to see if she has a bump just behind her right shoulder."

Already on top of it, Reiko pulled Mayako's collar back and looked at her naked shoulder. "Hmm, I don't see anything. It could be on the inside, though."

"That's possible," Rintaro whispered, cupping his face in his hands. "We should wait for your mother before we do anything. I hate seeing her like this."

"How did this happen, Rin-chan?" she asked as nicely as she could, despite her nearly overwhelming outrage at what had been done to her cousin.

"Do you remember Jotaro Saito?" Rintaro asked her, sitting back in his chair, He seemed tired, his eyes still lingering on Mayako's face.

_Have __they made up?_ Reiko wondered. She certainly hoped so. If anyone could save Rintaro from himself, it was Mayako.

"Yes, I do," she replied, remembering specifically all of the trouble he had caused at Furinkan High while she had gone there.

"He and his friends attacked Maya-chan and Kimiko Nishiyama while they were shopping," Rintaro informed her, bowing his head. Whatever had transpired seemed to have rattled the nearly unshakable young man. "I didn't realize that they would go back on their word and jump Mayako as she dueled Seiko Nomiya."

Vaguely, Reiko wondered why they had not invited her to go with them, but she filed it away. After all, look at Mayako now! Reiko would have been little help against anyone that could do something so terrible to her friend. She frowned, only wondering why the Tendous, Onos and Saotomes constantly had to fight Jotaro and his friends. It seemed so pointless.

"I hope you learned your lesson," Reiko admonished, hating to be that way to someone her own age. Then again, Rintaro had the maturity of a pubescent child. "You can never trust the lives of your friends and loved ones to people who are just as likely to take theirs. Honor be damned, if it means saving them from being hurt."

"I—" Rintaro began, but stopped as they heard the front door open. He stood expectantly as Reiko thanked the heavens. Her mother had finally arrived.

"We're in here, Mom!" she yelled, almost about to cry. If anyone could put the world back on its axis, Kasumi Tendou would be that person. Like the eye of a storm, the woman brought calm to everyone she touched.

Kasumi entered the room, still wearing her maroon work scrubs, her long hair draped like a mantle around her shoulders. Her ready smile was not visible; a frown of concern occupied her face as she entered. The light in her eyes, the soft beacon of hope for anyone who could see them, focused on Mayako who lay still on the bed.

Reiko moved out of her mother's way, quickly finding a seat on the bed next to the injured girl.

"You would think in sixteen years, she would realize she's too precious to run around beating people up," Kasumi said idly, maintaining her mysterious calm. "Hello, Rintaro. You're dressed nice today."

For the first time, Reiko looked at what he was wearing. Usually the boy wore a gi or something really tacky, but today he wore a collared shirt and slacks.

"Hi, Auntie," he whispered with a smile. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"We'll talk about this later," Kasumi replied, a motherly sternness she rarely expressed resonating in her voice. "However, right now I need you all to help. Rei-chan, please find me a pair of scissors." Reiko immediately followed her mother's directions, managing to hear her mother say as she exited the room, "Rintaro, you know where the kitchen is, right? Please get me a bag of ice and some paper towels. Also get the first aid kit. It's above the fridge."

Warmth radiated from her body as she ran into her father's study. The mess that surrounded her immediately overwhelmed her. Where would he keep scissors? Searching the top drawer, she immediately struck success. A pair of large paper cutting scissors stared back at her.

Returning to the room quickly with the utensil clutched in her hand, Reiko found her mother hovering over Mayako.

"Maya-chan," Kasumi whispered. "I need you to wake up, honey."

"Here are the scissors, Mom," Reiko informed the older woman, stopping to stand beside her.

"Thank you, darling," Kasumi said warmly, taking them from her daughter's hand. "Go around the other side of the bed, and try to wake her."

The brunette did just that as her mother began to untuck Mayako's blue blouse from her white trousers. Sitting where Rintaro had before, Reiko leaned over Mayako and examined her black eye. It looked so hideous on the pretty girl.

Moving her head close to Mayako's ear, she exclaimed quite loudly, "Mayako!"

The raven-haired girl jerked as her eyes shot open. Immediately, her teeth grit together and tears started flowing down her cheeks. She looked to be on the verge of sobs, fighting it as her jaw clenched.

"Hi, Mayako," Reiko whispered softly, taking her hand. Mayako squeezed back as soon as Reiko touched it, somewhat surprised by the strength she had. "Not too tight now."

"Sorry, Rei-chan," the girl apologized between sniffs. "My arm hurts so bad!"

Kasumi leaned over Mayako as Rintaro returned with a plastic bag full of ice and several sheets of paper towels. The frown on his face lightened as he quietly placed the supplies on the nightstand next to Kasumi. He then walked over into the corner of the room and sat on a knee-high dresser next to a lamp.

"Mayako, I need you to concentrate for me, okay?" she asked of the injured girl. Mayako nodded her affirmation. "I'm going to cut away your blouse and then look at your arm. Please try not to move at all."

"Yes, Auntie," she whispered, taking quick, shallow breaths.

As Reiko's mother started cutting Mayako's blouse up the center, Reiko took the girl's hand and clasped it with both of her hands, interlacing their fingers. Mayako turned her head to the side to weakly smile at her cousin. Returning it with one of hers, Reiko prayed the pain would not last much longer.

Pulling away the scraps of Mayako's shirt and only leaving her bra for modesty, Kasumi gasped. Reiko's eyes bulged as she put a shocked hand to her mouth. The skin from her stomach to her shoulders was covered in a multitude of bruises and welts. Reiko reasoned that they must have knocked her down and kicked her.

"Maya-chan!" a whimpered cry came from behind Reiko, causing the brunette to turn. She had not recognized Rintaro's voice, as it sounded to be more of a sob than anything. He did not cry, but she knew he must have been torn inside, seeing someone he cared for so hurt. His next oath did not come as a surprise, but Reiko had to strain to hear it. "I swear I won't let anything ever happen to you again."

"Rintaro," Kasumi called softly to the boy who seemed to be in shock. She called his name again, louder this time to get his attention. "I need your help."

"My help?" he skeptically asked walking over to the woman. "What can I do?"

"You must have noticed her arm is dislocated," she replied, beckoning for him to stand by her. "You've had more than your share of them, from what I've heard."

His face flashed crimson, but whether in anger or shame, Reiko had no idea. As he drew closer, he did not seem to be so much angry as hurt.

"You can say that," he replied, turning his head and closing his eyes after getting a closer look at her arm. "Yeah, it's dislocated. I hadn't realized until we brought her here." He turned back to face Kasumi. "What is it that you want me to do?"

"You've had more experience with these than I have," Kasumi admitted, rather abashedly. Her eyes wandered down to the poor girl under her care.

"Well, yeah, but the last time I helped anyone with one of these, I was thirteen," he stated, sitting next to Mayako. "It hurts so bad popping them back into place. You have to put something in her mouth so she doesn't bite her tongue or hurt jaw. Then you just pop the bone back into place. It's not hard, but you have to know what you're doing."

"Yes, that's why I need you to do it," the woman replied. Reiko looked at Rintaro with a new light. She did not know he knew anything about healing. "I've never done this before."

"You haven't?" Rintaro asked almost shocked. "But I can't do it! Doctor Tofu always watched over me to make sure it was okay. Even when I had to pop my own arm back into place, it was always just mine. I can't take a chance with Mayako!"

Kasumi shook her head. "The longer you wait, the longer she has to suffer. I could do it, but I think you need to."

Reiko watched the color drain from Rintaro's face before he nodded gravely. What could her mother have meant by that? Reiko wondered.

Her eyes followed the boy with interest. He unbuckled his belt and then removed it, as Kasumi stood and walked to the other side of the girl where she retrieved the first aid kit. Reiko then watched the nurse, as she pulled out a bottle and some gauze. With the scissors, she started cutting away Mayako's pants around her thigh, where a thick gash was revealed.

"Mayako," Rintaro said softly into her ear. "I need you to bite down on this. Go ahead and bite as hard as you need to." She nodded as he put the belt in her mouth. "I'm going to put the joint back in place. It's going to hurt really bad, so bad you're going to want to scream. Just bite down on the belt. You can scream all you need to after. It will only take a second."

Still holding Mayako's hand tightly, the girl fidgeted as Reiko's mother applied something to her thigh. Her eyes stung as tears started flooding them again.

"Rintaro, go ahead." Kasumi stopped cleaning the wound to watch the young man.

"Forgive me, Dr. Tofu," Rintaro sighed as he gritted his teeth. "On the count of three, I'm going to do it, okay, Mayako?" The girl nodded tersely, already biting down on Rintaro's belt. Reiko turned her head as he counted. One, two, snap! The sickening pop of bones sent a chill down Reiko's spine.

Mayako's chest surged up, squealing through the belt. Reiko strained to keep the girl from throwing her with her good arm, and she was lifted out of her chair. The belt slipped from the girl's mouth and she screamed, her voice piercing Reiko's ears. After a moment, she quieted down and merely sobbed into the pillow beneath her head.

Rintaro already had the bag of ice in his hands, and he propped it up against her shoulder, protected by the paper towels. His eyes looked suspiciously red as he knelt on the ground, putting his head by Mayako's ribs. The dark-haired girl turned to her healer, and then put her hand through his hair.

Reiko felt helpless, as she realized she could neither protect nor heal her cousin in the way that Rintaro could. He possessed the ability to cause so much pain, as Reiko had witnessed on Sunday when he had fought Kimiko. She had never known he'd worked with Dr. Tofu, though she did know he was always close to Shampoo and Tofu Ono. The doctor seemed to be a mentor to anyone who came along.

"Mayako, I'm going to put an anesthetic in your leg so that I can stitch this cut. You'll only feel a prick."

Just then Reiko caught a glimpse of a needle and looked at the spot where her mother planned to inject it. A sudden dizziness filled her head as she wobbled for a moment.

"Reiko?" she heard Rintaro say, but her eyes had already darkened. As the room began to spin, she fell backwards, caught by the chair.

* * *

As Reiko fell backwards into her chair, it seemed so ironic to Rintaro that he would have laughed had her mother not been present. Ever since she had been young, Reiko talked the talk better than anyone he knew, but she had one fatal flaw. When reality came too close, she broke down. Everyone had tried to include her in their circle of martial arts, but she did not have the nerve to even think about using her fists.

That was not what made Rintaro dislike the brunette, rather far from it. In a perfect world, he imagined that sort of peaceful nature might have been widely considered ideal. Not her, though; she suffered from something much different than pacifism. He thought of her as having a sort of crass disregard for everyone and everything around her.

Her entire life, she had been sheltered by family. Everyone at school knew that behind her stood the entirety of the Tendou, Saotome and Ono families, but more so since she had no ability to fight. With that shielding her, she had the mouth of someone who felt herself superior to that way of life, far too mature to require the martial lifestyle that all of her cousins and friends lived. She lived without the caution they had, as if someone would always be there to defend her; but she never acknowledged them for it.

Rintaro did not really like anyone's personality in his family, but liked Reiko the least. It had nothing to do with any menial vendetta, or anything she did to him. His dislike for her was completely because of her useless, arrogant nature. Not even a healer's lifestyle suited her, as the mere sight of a syringe caused her to faint. Significant amounts of blood probably had the same effect on her.

He only gave Reiko a moment's regard as he held Mayako's weak right hand. Her tears had begun to stop, but she seemed to be falling asleep again. Rintaro did not blame her, and he wished he could collapse next to her, as he recalled the pain of having his joint knocked out of place and having it put back.

The dark-haired young man had suffered his first dislocation at the age of eleven, when his father did not care for his performance in a junior martial arts freestyle competition. His father had not purposely hurt Rintaro, but the fatigue of having competed and lost in the tournament, mounted with his father's need for him to be the best, resulted in a grueling training session that had lasted the better part of two weeks. It only ended when Rintaro failed to block an easy kick, which resulted in a loud pop and intense pain.

Doctor Tofu did not even ask how it had happened when he'd arrived on his doorstep. It must have been some unspoken pact between the martial artist families that everything was an accident as long as it was curable. After expressing a deep curiosity, even with the pain he felt in his arm, Doctor Tofu had showed him how to pop his own joint back into socket, though he did have the doctor's guiding hands to help. The idea that he could cure himself had amazed him to the extent that any thoughts of his father hurting him vanished.

Unable to do anything for a month as his arm healed, Genma had allowed his son to informally apprentice with Doctor Tofu and stay with the Onos during that time. A bit of medical knowledge never hurt, the old man had reasoned to his son as almost a disclaimer that Rintaro could not become a doctor, even if he wished it. He did not care, as it had allowed him to learn something new and get to see what other families were like. Shampoo and Tofu had shared more love with him in one month than Rintaro had experienced in a lifetime with his family.

After the four weeks had ended, Rintaro managed to convince his father to allow him back a few times a month, in addition to more time during breaks. His father agreed, working with the Tendous and the two Ono children during those times. His father even began teaching at the Tendou dojo after that. It was strange how bad things ended in good, but eventually he had stopped going to help Doctor Tofu, when High School started, competitions became much more intense and he'd found someone he would rather spend his free moments with.

As much as he liked working with the doctor, he loved Mayako.

Just thinking of the "L" word made him shiver. He took that back. He really felt obligated to her safety, and that was all, or at least that was what he told himself.

"I'm done here," Kasumi stated, head drooping a bit as she shook her head. "We should cover her up before she gets a chill."

Rintaro remembered Mayako's lack of a shirt and colored slightly as he stood. Mayako still clutched his hand as he rose, so he bent over so as to not move her arm much.

Kasumi walked around and up to her daughter. "Help me pull this sheet over her?"

The two of them covered Mayako and stood for a moment, looking down at the injured girl.

"I really don't want to know what happened," Kasumi told him, her tone very serious. He almost did a double take to make sure it was his Aunt Kasumi talking. "But Akane will once she finds out what happened to her daughter. Do you want to be the one who explains it to her?"

Rintaro closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. She must have blamed him for this; otherwise, she would not nearly have been so straightforward with him. She always had a subtle way of getting people to do things, as Reiko did, but now she seemed a bit out of balance.

"I will," he whispered, opening his eyes to see his Aunt kneeling by Reiko. "And I will make it up to her, Auntie."

"I know you will," she replied, her voice returning to normal. "Could you also carry my daughter upstairs to her room? She's gained a bit of weight since I last picked her up."

Trying to catch the giggle in his throat, Rintaro only succeeded at the thought of Kasumi making a joke, rather than the content of it.

"No problem," he told her.

Kasumi nodded, took one last glimpse of Mayako, and then walked over to the end of the bed to pick up all the first aid supplies.

"Don't put them all away yet," Rintaro said as he walked past her to stop near Reiko.

"Are you hurt?" she asked skeptically, her eyebrows furrowing.

"No, but Kenichi's girlfriend is," he replied as evenly as he could manage, though he imagined he sounded pretty snotty. He certainly would not apologize for Kimiko's injuries. Those were entirely of her own creation. He only considered Mayako to be under the realm of his protection at the moment.

Kneeling in order to lift the brunette, Rintaro slid his hands under her slight body. He lifted her, but put too much power into the motion and nearly fell over. Taking a step back to catch his balance, he realized she must have only weighed a bit over a hundred pounds. The woman needed to eat more.

Leaving with Reiko in his arms, he wondered when the next woman would fall over, who he would have to carry around all day, realizing this would have been a pervert's dream. Too bad for him, he couldn't care less about Reiko. As he entered the house's foyer, he heard footsteps on the porch outside. Pausing in his step, Rintaro turned and watched the door open.

Light flooded the foyer, stopping at Rintaro's feet as he stood, watching Kenichi and Kimiko enter. Their shadows stretched forward as they entered, their footsteps echoing in the wooden house.

With a smug grin, Rintaro ignored them and walked up the stairs.

* * *

Kimiko and Kenichi shared a quiet glance at one another the moment after Rintaro had walked up the stairs with Reiko asleep in his arms. Kenichi's brown eyes looked just as confused as Kimiko felt. He shrugged and called out.

"Aunt Kasumi?"

"I'm in the guest bedroom," they heard from somewhere down a long hall that hid beneath the staircase. Kimiko felt the need to tug her ponytail at the sound of Kasumi's voice. If anything had changed, she doubted Kasumi to be a part of it.

Following Kenichi into the hall, Kimiko marveled at all the pictures that lined the wall. She stopped at one, a group photograph of the entire Tendou family with the Saotomes and the Onos. Someone seemed missing from the picture, for some reason. However, she could not figure out who it could have been.

The next picture was of Mousse with short hair and without his glasses, holding a small girl, whom Kimiko imagined was Reiko. She still wondered how that could have happened. The last Kimiko remembered of the duck had him following Shampoo back to China. Something had crisscrossed two couples that had seemed more or less destined to be together. Kasumi and Tofu would have been a no-brainer a week ago, and beneath it all, Shampoo seemed to have some level of care for Mousse. The chance that the two would have switched partners struck her as odd.

Though, now that she thought about it, something strikingly similar connected the two: blind confusion. Mousse did not act as insane as Tofu could be when with Shampoo, but both men shared a relatively ridiculous attitude in the presence of their former significant other. If it could have happened anywhere, it would have been in Nerima.

"Kimiko?" she heard Kenichi ask from the doorway to the hall.

"Coming." Barely catching glimpses of other pictures as she walked toward Kenichi, she did notice one of all the children that she would go back and take a closer look at afterward.

Kasumi sat on a bed next to Mayako, who from under the covers, looked to be asleep. The older woman seemed to be adjusting the position of a bag of ice on the girl's shoulder.

Unlike everyone else, Kasumi looked so similar that it was almost shocking. Having slept through a good portion of it, Kimiko had missed meeting Kasumi or Mousse on Sunday. The older woman's long chocolate hair lightly rested upon her shoulders, falling freely down her back. Time had been very generous to the woman, who looked much younger for one well into middle age. Even in boring maroon work scrubs, Kasumi held a regal stature about her soft exterior.

She rose from the bed and turned to face Kimiko, dropping her jaw. The look could not have been explained any better than by calling it shocked recognition. No sooner had Kimiko witnessed the lapse in Kasumi's calm than it reappeared on the woman's face.

Kasumi whispered something to herself. More audibly this time, she said, "You must be Kenichi's girlfriend." At her mention of the word 'girlfriend,' Kenichi, who had been preparing to sit next to his sister, missed the bed and fell straight on his butt.

Ignoring her nephew for a moment, the woman introduced herself with a bow. "I am Kasumi Tendou." Her gaze then turned to Kenichi who stood, rubbing his rear end.

"Oh my, are you all right, Kenichi?" the woman asked, helping the boy up. "Will you introduce me to her?"

"Uh, yeah," he replied, sitting back on the bed. His eyes found Kimiko for a moment, looking speculative, but then turned back to Mayako. "I'd like to introduce you to Kimiko Nishiyama, but we're not dating."

"Hi," Kimiko said, glad the tension did not make anyone burst a brain cell.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kasumi said, her eyes finding Kimiko's face again. "Rintaro said Kenichi and his girlfriend would be coming, and that the girl was hurt. I had no idea there would be more guests. Is she still on the way?" Kimiko felt it best just to remain silent.

"Er, uh, no," Kenichi said, looking rather uncomfortable. "I, uh, that is to say..."

"Saotome-san must have just been mistaken," Kimiko said quietly, half returning Kasumi's stare, while feeling quite out of place. "I'm sorry, Tendou-san, is something wrong?" Though she already knew the reason, she had to ask the question to keep up her ruse, which thinned by the moment.

"So, you're not hurt?" Kasumi asked slowly, approaching Kimiko a bit warily.

Put off by Kasumi's shock and strange manner, Kimiko just stood like a doe in the headlights of an oncoming car.

"Kimiko?" Kenichi asked, looking over at her.

She weakly smiled at him. "Well, I took a few hard knocks to the head, and one to the cheek. But I think I'm okay now."

"I should take a look at you anyway," Kasumi said. Close enough to touch her, the woman gently did, tilting her head downwards slightly. Kasumi did not have to do it far to see the top of her head, as the woman towered over the short redhead.

"Hmm, I think I'll need some better light than this," she said, turning around to grab a white first aid kit from the bed. "Will you follow me to the bathroom, Kimiko? The upstairs one has a really bright light."

Nodding to the older woman, Kimiko felt a bit of panic creep into her chest. _Would not_ _any place close to a lamp have suited?_ she wondered, but followed the woman into the hall anyway.

"So you're Kiyoshi Nishiyama's sister?" the woman asked as they made their way down the hall.

"Yes," Kimiko replied, and then gritted her teeth.

"Your brother is very nice boy," the other stated, exiting the hall to turn onto the staircase that stood _**in**_ directly to the right in the foyer. "He visited my father a few times when he was younger."

"He did?" Kimiko asked, a bit shocked by that. She did not know he'd had that much contact with the Tendous.

"Oh yes, but that was before Nishiyama-san adopted him into his family. Several years before it, in fact. He trained with father and Uncle Genma, before taking a job out to the east. But you probably know much more about it than me."

At the end of the stairs, Kimiko said quietly, "Not really."

Kasumi paused at this and looked back, but then continued past a few more doors until she entered a large bathroom. Switching on the light, the woman beckoned Kimiko in.

One thing about the bathroom was that Kasumi had been right. It was very bright and spacious. The floor space occupied the room in a square, with a double set of shiny white sinks on the counters ahead of her, a giant bathtub filled the left half of the room and a shower to the right. Several stools stood against the counter, one of which Kasumi pulled back and then patted.

Obliging the woman, Kimiko sat down on the stool, nervously pulling her skirt lower. Sitting with a miniskirt tended to leave her panties unnecessarily exposed. Kasumi walked over and closed the door before returning.

"I'm really sorry you got involved in their little battles," Kasumi told her, gently tilting her head again. "Wherever those ones go, they bring trouble in droves." She then started to look through her hair, pulling it aside in patches.

"I can handle my own," Kimiko stated, looking down to avoid looking into Kasumi's breasts, especially since she exposed quite a bit of cleavage at the angle she sat across from her.

"You practice martial arts?" the woman asked after a moment. "This might take a while. Your hair color makes it impossible to see if you are bleeding or even cut."

"Yes, I'm about as good as Rintaro," she mumbled.

"Really?" Kasumi asked, drawing back a bit. "That's surprising. You don't seem to be any older than fifteen."

"Yeah, people always think that," Kimiko responded. "Sometimes they tell me I'm thirteen or fourteen, but I'm actually a lot older than that."

"If you're lucky, everyone will always be a few years behind in their guesses." Kasumi continued probing her head.

"If I ever need any tips at how to stay looking so young," Kimiko began, hoping to ward further discussion of her age, "I'll most certainly ask you."

"Why thank you," the woman said, seeming to glow a bit afterward. "That's sweet of you. Where about do you think you hit your head?" Kasumi's fingers combed locks on the right side of her head.

"One of those guys knocked me onto the street," Kimiko answered, thinking hard to remember the fight. "I think it was probably on the back of my head, since I fell backwards. The other was into a brick wall, but I don't remember where I hit my head exactly. Somewhere near the front, or a side. My whole head hurt by then anyway."

Walking behind Kimiko, the woman started picking through her hair on the back of her head.

* * *

"Consider avoiding fights in the near future," Kasumi advised the redhead, as she found what she had been looking for. "There is an abrasion here that could have been a lot more serious if you had fallen any harder. I'll clean it for you, but you need to be a lot more careful."

As Kasumi bent over and opened a drawer below the left sink, she waited to hear an excuse. Kimiko made none, merely remaining silent as the woman found a bottle antiseptic. She applied it to a piece of gauze from the first aid kit and then touched the edge of the scrape. Kimiko yelped and jerked her head.

"Hold still."

"Sorry," Kimiko apologized softly.

Picking through strands of crimson red hair to find red lines across a possible cut scalp had been a chore for Kasumi. A few traces of blood dried together some clumps of hair on the back of her head. Kasumi cleaned it thoroughly and then examined the small mark that remained.

"You're really lucky," she told the redhead. "You said the other bump was on the side of your head?"

"Yes, but more like the front right side, I think. It doesn't sting anymore, so I don't remember."

Clearing through more clumps of the bright hair, Kasumi wondered about the girl. When she first saw Kimiko, Kasumi almost swore she saw a ghost. If not for the roughed-up, but very feminine clothing, she would have immediately known it to be Ranma. Her manner was all wrong, though. If Kasumi remembered anyone from so long ago, it was the boy who had caused so much trouble for her family.

Finding nothing, Kasumi shook her head. "Other than that one scrape, you look okay," Kasumi told the redhead. "You probably damaged the concrete wall more than the surface of your head. Although, you probably lost some of your brain cells."

"Wouldn't be the first time," the girl said with a chuckle.

"When you see Rintaro," Kasumi began, looking at the girl's pretty face, marred so by the bruise on her cheek, "tell him to get you a bag with ice. It will keep your cheek from swelling more than it has." She paused a moment, cupping the girl's chin with her hand. Aside from looking like Ranma's female side, Ranma's mother as a teenager, and a female version of Rintaro, she really did not know what all the fuss was about. Akane had called her to tell her what she suspected, but Kasumi would not accept the fact that the Ranma she knew would ever become pregnant. It was trying to mix water with oil as far as she was concerned.

Ranma could have very well been this child's father, but thinking that the girl could have been born from the womb of Ranma's female side was ridiculous. Certainly Jusenkyo magic did not pervert people that much, she reasoned.

"Well, you should be okay, but if you experience any dizziness or losses of consciousness, be sure to talk to me or a doctor. Aside from your face, does anywhere else hurt?"

Kimiko blinked and then looked down towards knees. When she looked up again, she shrugged helplessly. "I think my clothes took the worst of it."

"Speaking of your clothes, did you fight dressed like that?" One of Kasumi's eyebrows arched as she looked at the girl. A miniskirt and a cut-off blouse hardly seemed adequate for fighting. She must have, though, considering the state of the apparel. The beige skirt and white blouse had black streaks and dirt smeared about them so randomly that it might have been a piece of artwork.

"Yeah," Kimiko said, looking down at herself. "Martial artists have to be able to fight wearing anything."

"I understand that," Kasumi returned, but she could not help wondering if the girl had any modesty at all. "But you must have done some high kicking. Wouldn't that be giving everyone around a peek at your panties?"

Crossing her legs mechanically, Kimiko's eyes bulged as her face took a particularly dark flush. "I didn't think about that when I dressed this morning. I just didn't want to look all trashy shopping with Mayako, and I didn't expect to get in a brawl today. How I'm dressed just doesn't come to mind when I am fighting for my life."

"Next time consider shorts," Kasumi told her with a shake of her head. "At least you wore modest underwear. Some girls these days wear practically nothing underneath the tiniest skirts. It's so shameful."

Kimiko smiled at her haphazardly. The pink in her cheeks gave Kasumi the sense to move on.

"Would you like a change of clothes?" the woman asked. "I could get some of Reiko's clothes for you to borrow."

"Oh no," Kimiko said with a quick shake of her head. "I just bought some outfits today. I can wear a new one."

"Okay, but consider showering first."

"Ah heh, okay," the redhead replied. "Make sure Kenichi does, too. He must have traveled across half of Tokyo today at light speed."

"Will do," Kasumi said. Considering she probably would not have another moment alone with the redhead, Kasumi figured she should be straight with the girl. "Kimiko, do you mind if I ask you something personal?"

With wide eyes, Kimiko looked up at her after a moment and nodded slowly.

"Was your father named Ranma?"

Still sitting on the stool, the girl nearly fell off as the stool wobbled. "Whoa!" she exclaimed before clattering to the ground on her side. "Damn."

"Are you okay?" Kasumi asked, moving to help Kimiko to her feet. The girl accepted her hand and stood up straight, dusting herself off.

"Uh, yeah," the girl said, still a little flustered. "My birth father is what you mean, isn't it?" She did not give the impression that she wanted to talk about this.

"Well, I know who your adopted father is," Kasumi told the girl, speculating on her reaction. "I only ask, because you're the spitting image of him. My sister, Akane thinks you have to be, considering everything."

"What's everything?" Kimiko asked.

Kasumi realized her error in letting the redhead naively lead the discussion with her question. Now she had to tell her about what she had hoped Kimiko would tell her in the first place. Her evasions were truly first class.

"He disappeared a long time ago, child," Kasumi said, lifting the stool back up. "We don't talk about it, because it's a very painful moment between the families. Everyone loved him very much."

"What happened to him?" Kimiko asked, another question which Kasumi was starting to get tired of. Here she was, giving away everything for nothing.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Kasumi whispered, sitting down. "You can tell me while you clean yourself up, if you wish."

"It's been a very long time since I've talked to my birth father," Kimiko told her, walking past her to the shower. "I was in a coma for a long time after an accident. All I know is that he wasn't with me when I woke up."

Even after revealing so much, Kasumi realized she still knew very little. The girl had not even confirmed the name of the man she spoke of, though Kasumi did realize she had purposefully avoided telling her.

Starting the shower, Kimiko looked back at the woman. "A significant portion of my life, I traveled the countryside with my father. We never stayed in any place longer than a few weeks, and tended to move on quickly. I knew he was running from something, but he never told me what."

That sounded more like Genma than the Ranma she remembered.

"He taught me almost everything I know," Kimiko reminisced as she removed her tiny top. "He never told me about my family or where we came from. I never learned much about my mother during that time with him on the road, just because we had left her when we were so young. He always kept me at a distance, never letting on too much and always putting things in terms of training."

The more she talked, the more her life sounded like Ranma's. Kasumi wondered just a moment if she were Ranma himself, instead of a child. Aside from a major discrepancy in age, the girl's story could have very well been told by Ranma. Her martial arts, according to Akane, might have been taught directly from Ranma as well. Akane had mentioned the girl knew things only a Saotome could have known during her spar with Rintaro.

Kasumi averted her eyes as Kimiko removed the rest of her clothes and stepped into the shower. A quick glance proved that this could not have been Ranma. Steam rose from her body as she showered behind the glass that encased the shower. Heat quickly changed the clear glass to the hue of peach that colored the bathroom. She did not change into a boy.

"Whoa!" the girl exclaimed from within the shower. "Didn't know it would do that."

Now that Kasumi thought about everything Kimiko had told her, it could have applied to Ranma also. Ranma would not have told Kimiko about her mother if that were him. Considering how long Akane searched for him, running away would have been the only way he could have escaped unnoticed. Perhaps the reason it sounded so much like Genma was because Ranma had in essence become the old man in his flight from Akane, as the elder Saotome had fled from Nodoka.

"You haven't seen your father since you woke up?" Kasumi asked, cleaning up the few items she had used to examine Kimiko. She heard the girl pause in her scrubbing.

"He wasn't there when I woke up," she replied barely loud enough for Kasumi to hear over the water. Her voice sounded more sad than angry. "After all the crap he put me through, if he didn't want to be there for me, why should I look for him?"

"I understand," Kasumi responded, although she did not mean it.

The sadness in her voice made Kasumi realize it must have really hit a soft spot beneath the girl's formidable armor. "I'm sorry I brought up those memories for you, dear. I didn't think it was such a touchy subject for you."

The girl continued her scrubbing, but did not respond to Kasumi's apology. The older woman knew when she was no longer welcome to ask questions. Kasumi gritted her teeth as she stared at the peach glass that hid the shattered remains of Ranma's suspected child. She really wanted to get to the heart of the mystery and she knew Kimiko had an answer to a twenty-year-old question.

"I'll have one of the boys bring your clothes up. The towels are underneath the right sink. You can bathe if you want as well. Take all the time you need."

"Thank you, Tendou-san," Kasumi heard as she exited the bathroom. No sooner did she slide the door open in front of her than she regretted confronting the girl. Ranma had proven to be unpredictable in the past, but never when it came to his family. If Kimiko were truly Ranma's daughter, where was he? Dropping the name had at least confirmed she knew it.

Kimiko's answers bothered her, even though she should have been sympathetic towards the child. Somehow, her return seemed to not be so much by chance as by design. Kiyoshi or Nobukazu Nishiyama must have had contact with Ranma early in his life to know who his daughter was. That gave her a chill. She had not even known of the two Nishiyamas until after Ranma's disappearance. Why would they not say anything? Could the truth of what had happened have been that bad?

She temporarily put it out of her mind as she went into Reiko's room to check on the poor girl. Between Mayako's dislocated arm and the syringe, her daughter must have shorted a few brain circuits.

* * *

For Mayako Tendou, the darkness of sleep was not filled with dreams, but of pain and frustration. Though the dream was dark, obscured by shadows, she could see a pair of eyes watching her, like black orbs darker than night, a spot of nothing against a plain of stars. They never blinked and they saw her as she lay in someone's arms. Daring not to move, even the slightest bump shot a dull pain through her body.

When she woke, the darkness and the eyes vanished, but the pain did not. Her body ached as a whole, no spot free from pain. She heard a voice as she opened her eyes, unable to understand the words. She recognized that voice, but could not put a name to the sound for a moment, and then she recalled. Her brother, Kenichi. He must have come to take away the pain, or at least that was what she hoped.

"Can you hear me?" he asked as she tried to focus.

She lay on a bed. Her right arm felt terribly cold, and her left leg felt numb. Her eyes focused on Kenichi's face, and she tried to smile, but that only made her eye hurt.

"You had me worried, butterfly," he whispered so softly in her ear that it tickled. Butterfly. He had not called her that since elementary school. She did not even remember why he called her that. She had liked butterflies back then...

"Hi," she whispered back, aware of her whole body now. The pain was not as bad as it had been in her dream, or when Rintaro had helped her. The pain then had almost caused her to black out, but she had held on to show Rintaro she was made of tougher stuff. It had not lasted long as she had fallen fast asleep from the exhaustion of so much pain.

She felt his soft lips kiss her forehead, one of the few places that did not hurt.

"My body hurts," she whispered to him, not feeling energetic enough to lift her head. How long was I out?"

She felt Kenichi's fingers intertwine with hers, making her smile weakly. His voice tickled her ear as he spoke. "Not long. A few minutes or so."

"Who's here now?"

"Here now?" he asked. "Well, just me right now. Rintaro left to carry Reiko to her room. She seemed a little out of it. Aunt Kasumi took Kimiko to another room to clean her up, too. She had some nasty-looking bruises. The question is, how are you feeling?"

"Did you catch the license number of the speeding bus?" Mayako joked, though her jaw felt a little raw. She must have bitten a _**w**_hole in that belt. Her blurry vision started clearing, revealing Kenichi's worried face.

Kenichi chuckled lightly, kissing her forehead again. "Don't ever duel one of them again, okay? They always pull something funny. They even tried to gang up on Ryosei last week, before Kimiko jumped in."

"I didn't think Seiko would sink so low," she admitted, wincing as she tried to move her leg a bit. "The katana I could handle, but the surprise attack caught me off-guard. It shouldn't have."

She looked up at her brother, focusing on his face. He looked so tired. Red stains marred his pretty brown eyes, even as his lids seemed to droop a bit. Then she noticed a speck of blood on his forehead. It seemed out of place against his tanned skin. No cuts or abrasions ruined his smooth skin.

"You have a little blood on your forehead," she whispered. She laughed a bit as he scrubbed his head with his sleeve.

"That get it?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, smiling. It did not hurt as bad this time.

"Rintaro's lip must have splashed me," he muttered, seemingly to himself. He smiled back down at her. "No worries."

A little confusion crept over her. _Rintaro's lip?_ she wondered. How could that have splashed him unless he...

"Did you get in a fight with Rin-chan?" she asked suspiciously, trying to glare at him, but the effort hurt her eye.

Kenichi lifted the bag of ice from her shoulder as she watched. The paper towels covering it stuck with the bag as he balled it up and then leaned over her. "Close your eyes."

She shut her lids and felt him place it over her right eye. Opening the other, she poked her tongue out at him. He laughed back as he stood.

"Don't evade my question," she admonished, using her open eye to glare.

"Yes," he said simply with a shrug. "I was so mad when I saw him standing, not even injured with both you and Kimiko lying on the concrete that I just snapped. I didn't even care that he didn't do anything. The fact that he LET you get hurt..."

"He saved me, you know," she interjected as his voice trailed off. "Seiko meant to cut me up. He didn't let her do that."

Kenichi nodded, bowing his head.

"It's okay, though," she muttered. "I think you knocked some sense into him."

"How so?" he asked. "If he had any sense at all, he wouldn't let people who care about him get hurt."

"He respects my abilities," she responded, turning her head slightly to look away from Kenichi. "And he wasn't too far off. I just didn't get a chance to alert him until it was almost too late. Afterwards, he carried me all the way here and popped my arm back into place."

"It wasn't broken?" Kenichi asked, poking her arm. It did not hurt her at all, she realized. Only the throbbing in her shoulder really hurt.

"Kasumi said it was just dislocated."

"HE fixed it?" Kenichi said, the shock clear in his voice. "What's he, a part-time doctor now?"

"Don't criticize him," she said with a scowl. "He did a lot for me, and I'm thankful. Can't you be happy that he's finally coming back to us?"

"I'm not so naive to think he's just suddenly cured from being a jackass."

Mayako replied with a humph, but knew that Kenichi could not easily forgive Rintaro. She hoped he would try for her sake though. Mayako felt that she could fall in love with him again, if he would let her.

"You don't have to make that face," Kenichi said coyly. "I'll give him a chance, but if he messes up like this again, I don't think I can ever forgive him."

"He won't," she said, sure of it. "I know he won't."

At that moment, the creak of the door caught her ear, but she did not hear anyone enter. She felt Kenichi's body stiffen as his grip on her hand right hand tightened. Rintaro must have entered.

"She's not dying," Rintaro's voice echoed from across the room. "Let her breathe a little or she won't wake up at all." The ever-present ice in his voice emotionally chilled the air. Kenichi's grip loosened from hers as he straightened and stood. His body no longer blocked her view of the doors as she stared past his legs to where the eldest Saotome stood.

Mayako knew this was where the bucks had to butt heads, and decided to figuratively interject herself between them. She figured that the best way to do that was to start making fun of people.

"Oh Rin-chan, I didn't hear you come in. The usual clucking of the hens didn't announce your presence." Kenichi seemed to lighten up as she spoke up.

Rintaro blinked as he looked down toward Mayako. His grimace cracked slightly into a grin. "But, you just did, right?"

Mayako's brows involuntarily crooked as she bit her lip at his remark. The tension in her face lessened even though she could not think of a retort, turning into a smile. She missed having people who could figuratively go toe-to-toe with her.

"Do you think I could have a word with her alone?" Rintaro asked of Kenichi. Kenichi involuntarily rubbed his arm as glanced back at Mayako. When she nodded to him, he shrugged and brushed past Rintaro, knocking shoulders with no love lost.

Mayako knew that Kenichi had not liked Rintaro before, but it never ceased to amaze her how deeply he resented the Saotome boy. She did not even know the entire story behind the break in their friendship. They had been friendly enough in junior high school.

Not left to her thoughts any longer, Rintaro seemed happy that Kenichi had walked far enough away and then closed the door to the room with a sleepy motion_**s**_. He did not seem as physically tired as he seemed weary with the empty motions his life, it seemed from Mayako's perspective. He did nothing but train, study and pick on people for all she knew, but there was something about him that she could never deny.

The moment he walked toward her, his tender blue eyes staring at her with a hopeless kind of sadness, she knew exactly why she could never deny him what he wanted. Even when they had been platonic friends and rivals, she had been inexplicably drawn to him. Back then, she had challenged him.

He took her brother's place on the bed, sitting next to her. As he sat, she shifted her knees to brush up against his lower back. He shifted slightly, not away from her, but closer to her lower thigh. Without the use of one arm, she still managed to sit up and place a pillow against the headboard for her back.

Rintaro did not turn to look at her right away. His black bangs dangled in his face as he stared at the bottom of the dresser across from him.

"So..." Mayako cued, hoping to get something more than a little contact out of him before her brother came storming back in. Hopefully, he would admit he had loved her the whole time they were apart, and that he could not live without her. Now that was the type of ego-booster Mayako would have loved to hear. She had to admit the chances were poor, but she could always dream.

"I'm sorry about your arm," he said quietly, not with usual spunk. Kenichi's leaving seemed to have deflated his defenses somewhat.

"I'm glad it was you who pushed it back in the right spot," she told him, hoping he could get past the apology without her having to shame him by acknowledging it. She wanted to lift his spirits, not accept an apology for something in which he'd had no part.

"I knew that Seiko was going to challenge you before it happened."

Mayako blinked, wondering if she heard him right.

"I swear I didn't know they'd play cheap like that, though," he insisted the next moment, turning to look her in the eye. His eyes looked a bit misty, but it could have been the low lighting in the room.

"How?" she asked him, still boggling how he could have known.

"Jotaro confronted me while you and Nishiyama-san were at the boutique. He asked me not to interfere." He wet his lips the next second and turned his eyes downward. He did not seem the valiant warrior king of her dreams; more like the sullen puppy expecting to be struck for its behavior.

"Why on earth would you do such a thing?" she demanded of him, clenching her teeth at the very thought that he might have intended her to be hurt. Pulling her hand from his, she looked at him, not sure if this was the same person she had known as a child. Kenichi might have been right after all.

"I..." he began, drawing back into his shell by physically distancing himself from her and becoming emotionally distant. She had seen it happen before.

She would never get anything out of him if he felt she would cut him off as he had her. She took his hand before he could slide completely out of contact with her. He looked back up at her with shocked eyes and his mouth ajar. It was not quite as gaping as she might have preferred, but it would do.

"I owed Jotaro a debt of honor from a few years back. It's hard to explain to make it sound serious, but back then I thought it would be the end of me. I prided myself on keeping perfect grades and a perfect behavior record." Rintaro furrowed his brow as he looked at their held hands. "Jotaro covered for me once, when he shouldn't have. I never expected him to take the heat that was mine. And so I look the other way once and a while when he asks me to."

Something stirred in Mayako's head as he told her his vague debt to Jotaro, someone who had plagued the existence of not only the school, but everyone in the Nerima ward. He had been expelled from the junior high they had all attended at the time, ruining his chances of entering any type of esteemed colleges. It had been a slight loss to Jotaro who probably would never get beyond preparatory colleges.

However, the loss would have been severe to Rintaro, who almost always scored insanely good grades and had high aspirations for college. He had managed to avoid many close calls with the authorities in the past for fighting, and other prankster activities that some would consider vandalism.

"I didn't think Seiko would have the guts to pull a blade on you, and even bring help once she lost. I didn't think, and I know I'm totally responsible for your pain." He grimaced, adding, "And Nishiyama-san's, too."

His clammy hand showed more emotion than his rock face, shaking ever so slightly as she reassuringly gripped it. "Rintaro, if you want to be with me, you have to look out for me before anything else. That means you have to think what's more important to you."

She gladly welcomed his half-smile and solemn nod.

"Now that we have that clear, go get me a drink, slave."

He barked a quick laugh and quickly obeyed.

* * *

We're at the halfway point! More coming soon.


	12. Part Three: Sayonara (5 of 8)

**Misery Loves Company**  
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Part Three: Sayonara  
(5 of 8)

After his brief conflict with Rintaro, Kenichi had retreated into his Aunt Kasumi's perfect kitchen, where she somehow found time to scrub every surface, and still work full time as a nurse for the local hospital. The kitchen was much like his own at home, except it did not have a separate door leading into it, but rather had swinging doors that an American Western might have for entering a saloon. The place was at least twice as large with a few modern appliances that the Tendou house lacked, like a dishwasher and dish dispenser that automatically sorted and stored dishes.

Standing in front of the refrigerator, Kenichi held his hand outstretched with an empty glass in it, in an attempt to acquire a glass of water. A solitary ice cube fell into the glass, but none followed the first. He heard the rumbling of the refrigerator trying to pour ice from the hole above his glass, but his glass remained nearly empty. He closed his eyes, shook his head and felt the day had been a whole slew of torments before he could get to his bed and put it all behind him.

After opening the freezer, Kenichi located the ice cube chute, heavily clogged to the point that none could get through. He then closed the door, and pushed his right index finger up, where he located the clog. Three pieces had become fused together, stopping the flow altogether. With a quick jab, he broke the ice with the tip of his finger, and then quickly replaced his glass under the chute, overfilling it.

Removing his glass to stop the flow of ice cubes, he watched in dread as the ice kept falling, and falling and falling until he put his glass in the way to stop it.

"Stupid piece of garbage," he complained, kicking the base of the refrigerator door.

"That's not going to stop it from filling the kitchen and your empty head with ice cubes."

Kenichi cocked his head to the side to see his cousin staring at him with a grin. He glared at her with all the spite he could muster, but that only made her laugh out loud.

"My hopeless, hopeless cousin, I hope your future wife can make up for your utter lack of common sense." Reiko walked up to him, pushed him aside and lifted the release button out from its position, stuck against the glass. She then pushed another button and filled his glass with water. She put the glass to her lips and took a long draft before offering it to him.

"Thanks, but I'm not thirsty anymore," he quietly said, not able to think of anything witty with which to reply. Why did Mayako have to get that gene as well? He could have said something about her fainting spell, but that would have been more cruelty than comedy.

"Oh, you can use the towel over there to clean this up now." With that said, she left as quietly as she had entered, sipping his glass of water on the way out.

It took him a few minutes to gather all of the ice that had spilled onto the floor, and then empty it into the sink. As he finished and started wiping the water off the kitchen tiles, he heard someone enter the kitchen. He looked up and saw his aunt standing above him. She crouched down beside him.

"The ice machine?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied. His eyes still glanced about the floor, scanning for any shine that might be a pool of water he'd missed.

"I've been meaning to have the fixed, but something always comes up." Kasumi stood and looked down at him with a smile. "Are you hungry at all? I could make something up."

His mouth salivated a bit hearing this, but she had just come home from work and he did not want to impose on her. "I'm okay, but thank you, Aunt Kasumi." His stomach grumbled at his mouth's betrayal.

"I'm going to go check up on Rei-chan, then."

As she turned to leave, he told her, "She's up, but she's probably in her room anyway." Kasumi nodded and left him alone in the kitchen.

The thought of getting another glass of water sounded bad, so he took a second glass down from the cupboard, which he had left open in the first place, and filled his glass with tap water. As he put the glass to his lips, he heard the door to the guest room where Mayako had been resting open. A few moments later, Rintaro stepped in.

He coolly regarded Kenichi in silence from the entrance of the kitchen, but quickly broke his stare and passed Kenichi to acquire a glass from the cupboard as well. As he went to fill the glass with ice, Kenichi considered telling him that the button for the ice often stuck, but decided Rintaro deserved to clean up the mess of ice cubes that would result from his ignorance.

Unfortunately for Kenichi's mood, Rintaro did not have that problem and easily filled the glass with ice and then filtered water. He turned and did not drink from the glass, but regarded Kenichi again with his hard blue eyes.

"Enjoy your walk?" the boy asked of him. Kenichi could not tell if that was supposed to be an insult or some sort of valid question. Rintaro did not betray anything from his face or body. He simply stood there calmly.

"It was okay," Kenichi replied, taking a sip of the tap water. He grimaced, realizing they did not have a filter on their tap. The water tasted like it had been used for boiling something greasy and then simply returned to the faucet.

"They probably have soda pop, you know," Rintaro said. Apparently he had noticed the face Kenichi had made. Kenichi only afforded the boy a shrug in return. He would not engage in any conversation with him unless he had to. "Probably some beer, too."

"I don't drink," Kenichi said, glaring at Rintaro for the implication.

"Maybe you should look into it," Rintaro said, betraying the beginnings of a smile. "I know I would if I had your brain. Not much to lose there."

"Yeah, take up the bottle and end up like you," Kenichi retorted, not entirely jesting. "That would make us twins. We could roam the countryside challenging cows. What a manga that would make."

"Imaginative aren't you? You gonna draw that manga with your subpar artistic ability?"

"It's a good thing I'm a better artist than you are martial artist, or I might be stuck training babies how to slap crayons against paper, like you'll be teaching them to crawl the rest of your life."

Rintaro chuckled and shrugged. "Hey, someone's got to teach you."

Kenichi nearly spat out his wretched tap water but forced himself to swallow it before joining Rintaro in a laugh.

"Jeez, do I have to teach you how to swallow, too? I mean, your shirt is soaked already. Back to the training cups for you."

"Okay, okay," Kenichi said with a wave of his hand. "Just don't go around being a complete baka just because you're strong."

Rintaro nodded and then turned, leaving Kenichi alone in the kitchen again. He quickly dumped the remainder of his glass of water into the sink, and then put the empty container into the dishwasher. He stood around for a moment, contemplating going back to see what his sister and Rintaro were up to, but nixed that idea after another second. Mayako would just send him out again.

Exiting through the swinging doors, he walked into the adjacent dining room, which immediately led to the front door and the stairs. He stopped and looked up the stairs, his mind suddenly back on the redhead that had walked him here. It had not felt right, asking if he could go with her to China, but he'd needed to get it off his chest. From her tone, he honestly did not believe she would invite him, but he'd had to ask for his own piece of mind.

She must have come here with a closed heart, and nothing he could have done would have opened it for anyone. The look on her face when he had asked if she would let him go with her had made him feel guilty. He was not quite sure how she felt about his request, or him for that matter, but it did not match his enamor for her.

Kenichi shook his head and decided to wait in the family room for Kimiko to finish her shower.

* * *

The tall man in the shabby, beige overcoat examined a ripped yellow piece of paper, clutched tightly in his hand. Nodoka Saotome watched him closely as he stood outside the gate to her family's home. Methodically chopping the carrots for the salad that she was making to take to the Tendou house later, she divided her attention between food preparation and watching the stranger.

After another moment, the man reached for the latch to the gate and opened it, creating a loud squeak. He entered her property, closing the gate after him. She made a mental note to oil the gate as he walked through her modest garden in the patio. She examined him more closely as he neared her. His eyes hid in the shadows of a wide-brimmed, American-style hat. He might have been an American businessman or a detective, but Nodoka did not like the look of him. His shadowed face concerned her only slightly less than the mud-caked, rough brown boots that he wore.

Yelping in surprise, Nodoka looked down and realized she had lightly sliced the nail of her thumb, gouging it but not cutting any skin. Looking through the window again, she realized the man would be at her door in a few seconds. Removing her apron, Nodoka hung it on a peg next to her refrigerator as the man solidly knocked on the door.

She walked through the right portal from the kitchen into the living room, and then walked directly to her left where the front door stood. She checked her hair with her right hand as she reached for the knob with her left.

Opening the door as far as the chain would allow, Nodoka revealed the stranger, but still could not see the man's face in the shade of her covered patio. He seemed even taller than he had when she saw him through the window.

"Good afternoon," the man said with a slight bow of his head.

"Yes, it is," she replied sternly with a stiff incline of her head.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said, though she doubted he meant it. He had an impetuousness to his personality that she mistrusted. She could see through the overcoat to his rough interior.

"No, what can I do for you, sir?" she asked as demurely as she could, resisting the urge to snap and tell him to leave.

"Would I be correct in assuming that you are Nodoka Saotome, wife of Genma?"

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as he said this, but she nodded in spite of herself.

"Would your husband be home at the moment?" the man asked a moment later, his head cocking to the side.

"No," she curtly told him, taking the door in her hands, ready to close it at a momentary misstep from the stranger. "He isn't. If you leave your number with me though, I can relay it to him when he comes home."

He slowly shook his head. "Would you happen to know where he is, Saotome-san?" The unsavory tone of his question made her shiver from behind the door. Nodoka Saotome knew a predator when she saw one, and knew that this man had no good intentions for her husband.

"I'm afraid I do not, sir," she replied as calmly as she could. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meal to prepare." She pushed the door closed, but something obstructed it and it unexpectedly inched inward toward her.

"If you will forgive me, I do need to locate him," the man said so calmly that it chilled Nodoka.

Firmly pushing the door with both of her hands, Nodoka felt her heart pounding quickly in her chest. "I don't know where he is!"

"I merely wish to question him about another person, Saotome-san," he factually stated, blocking the door with the toe of his foot. "Do not hide his whereabouts from me. He will not be harmed."

Nodoka did not believe that for a moment, abandoning the door for the katana at the mantle of the living room. Adrenaline already coursed through her veins as she nearly tripped over the coffee table that lay in the way of her path. Quickly taking the family blade down from its place at the mantle, Nodoka unsheathed it in one quick motion and discarded the scabbard onto the floor.

The man had not tried to force his way into her house yet, but she had little doubt he would try if she did not answer him.

"Leave these premises immediately," she shouted at him. "I'm calling the police now." Although she did not make good on her threat, she gauged his reaction.

"That won't be necessary," he replied solemnly. The four inch shadow he cast from the little light outside disappeared from the ground inside her house. She quickly rushed to the front door and closed it, locking it. After that, she hurried to the kitchen window to make sure he had departed.

However, the gate still stood closed with no sign of the man, and yet she had not heard the gate squeak. Panic that had already touched her, began to well up in her stomach, turning it over as she scanned for him. She decided to call the police after all, just in case he decided to try in break in.

Unfortunately, the only two phones in the house were in the parlor, near the back of the house and in Rintaro's room, which usually stood locked. The parlor was adjacent to the living room. Hurrying through the living room, she still held the katana tightly in her hands.

Making her way past the couch in the living room and into the parlor, she stopped in front of the cordless phone recharger, but did not see the phone in sight. Thinking hard, she tried to remember where she had used it last. As the memory of where she left the receiver came back to her, the shattering of a window somewhere in the kitchen sent her in a dead run for the stairs.

A slight ringing developed in her ears as she charged up the single flight of stairs and into the hall that led to her room. The door was open and she rushed to the side of her bed and quickly lifted the receiver. Pressing the "talk" button, she pressed the phone to her ear and waited for a dial tone, but heard nothing. Glancing at the digital display of the phone, it read "Batteries low."

Her mouth fell slightly ajar as she heard heavy boots thudding up the stairs.

Pushing out of her room, still clutching her katana, she quickly cut at the padlock on Rintaro's door. The clink of metal on metal hurt her ears that already strained to hear her attacker's approach. A second slash brought the lock from the latch on the door. It fell to the floor as she caught a glimpse of the stranger approaching her from the other end of the hall.

Throwing Rintaro's door open, she rushed in, and then closed the door behind her, locking it. Unfortunately, it was only one of the flimsy doorknob locks that could be easily picked open with any small, thin object. His room was incredibly neat, and she quickly found the phone, grabbing it and glancing at the receiver for the memory button that would dial the local police line.

Unfortunately, Rintaro did not have a single item listed under his memory keys. She tried the first one anyway, but nothing happened. He must not have entered any numbers on his memory key. In fact, it occurred to her the moment before the man kicked down the door to the room, that she had never noticed any outgoing calls from Rintaro's room on the phone bill since they had installed it two years ago in an attempt to get him to be more social.

She dialed 119, despite its complete unreliability, and listened for the sound of heavy boots on the wood of the hallway, but heard nothing. The phone began to ring just as the sound of the man's heavy boot crashing against the door caused her to scream. The door looked severely dented as she watched in terror. It only took him one more solid kick to cause the flimsy door to crash open.

Not one to back down, Nodoka dropped the phone and readied her katana.

"I warn you, I am learned in Kendo and I'm not afraid to use my family's blade." Nodoka's threat seemed hollow to even her own ears, as she had hardly practiced in the last fifteen or twenty years, ever since she'd had her second child.

The man rushed her in spite of her outstretched blade. She raised the blade above her head and then brought it down in a forward slash, but the man was too quick, knocking the blade to the side with his arm, and then he drew in far too close for her to strike a second time. She attempted to jump over her son's bed in order to get away from the man, but he caught her leg. She came down face first into Rintaro's pillow.

"Where's Genma?!" the man demanded, raising his voice for the first time.

Nodoka barely managed to scream before he lifted her by the back of her shoulders and span her around.

"I will not ask a second time!" He struck her across the face, knocking her across the room. She tumbled across the bed as the strength of his slap sent her sprawling. Her head span and her eye stung terribly.

* * *

After a few more slaps, the stubborn woman divulged her husband's whereabouts to the man in the overcoat. He smirked at her face as she stared at him, still dazed by the attack. Genma Saotome would soon be in his hands, and then he would wring his neck, right after acquiring the information he needed to complete his task. No one would stand in the way of his honor.

His new destination worked out well, killing two birds with one stone.

* * *

Wispy white clouds twirled ever so slowly in the beautiful blue sky above the head of Ryouga. He lazily stared into the heavens above him, enjoying the rare cool breeze that caressed his skin. Stripped to the waist, he enjoyed his afternoon more with every breath he took, lying back on the reclining chair he had found in the back of the house near the dojo. He felt his body warming from flesh to bone. The weather trends of late, from north to south of the island, had kept him dodging rainstorms and bundled up to avoid freezing.

Locked out of his own home, Ryouga no longer felt _**so**_ as annoyed as he had when he'd arrived to an empty house. Akane, her father and the kids could be anywhere, doing anything, and he was not right to feel any animosity for them. He had been gone for weeks, or even a month this time, but he was not quite sure, which was longer than usual. On such a beautiful day, his mood improved substantially.

After what seemed like hours, someone had returned home. The opening gate alerted him and he sat up, quickly putting on the uniform he'd borrowed from his son's locker. By the position of the sun, he guessed it would probably be three or four in the afternoon. After a moment, Soun and Genma walked through the gate together, seemingly arguing about something. They looked as they usually did, older than when he had first met them, but still ageless in their retirement, and wearing their familiar heavily-patched gis that Kasumi and Nodoka must have spent many a fine day repairing.

Their words tapered off when they saw Ryouga waiting for them. Ryouga tried to gauge their moods by their faces, but that was only possible with Genma, whose face lit up like a street light in welcome. Soun seemed a bit pensive in his expression, perhaps angry at Ryouga's longer-than-average disappearance. The old man had never come down on him about it before, but he obviously would sympathize more with Akane than his directionally-challenged son-in-law.

Ryouga approached the two men and stopped a few feet from them. Genma closed the space and reached his hand forward to shake Ryouga's firmly.

"It's good to see your back, Ryouga-kun," he said jovially; his mood must have been good previous to Ryouga's arrival, for Genma never greeted him this warmly, shaking his hand with a merry vigor.

"I'm happy to be back," Ryouga replied with a smile. He turned to Soun who extended his hand a moment later. "Good day, father Soun." He bowed his head respectfully to his father-in-law and smiled.

"It's been a while, Ryouga-kun," Soun said a bit warmer, smiling after he shook his hand. "I'm glad you have returned. Much has transpired since you left."

The three men walked to across the brick walkway to the front door, where Soun reached into his pocket.

"I'm afraid I'm locked out," Ryouga stated as Genma and Soun stopped at the front door. "I must not have brought my keys with me when I left."

Soun and Genma chuckled at his remark as Soun bent over and pulled a key out from a flowerpot near the door of the house.

Ryouga passively watched the old men open the door and enter. For a brief moment, he felt compelled to turn around and lose himself. A shiver ran down his spine as he walked through the doorway after them. He rarely ignored his gut, but time away from his family was becoming unbearable.

His stomach started to growl as he crossed the threshold. He had traveled many days without anything but his own meagerly prepared meals. Although he knew she was no cook, Akane could make some passable basic meals. They tended to become leftovers quickly, even when she made them properly.

To his surprise, the fridge was empty.

"Oh, I forgot to say," Soun said to him as he stared at the empty refrigerator. "Akane, Shintaro and Eiji went shopping. They'll be back later."

From the other room, Genma added, joining them in the kitchen, "If you know what's good for you, boy, you'll be full by the time she gets back!"

Soun coughed in an unconvincing rebuttal.

The thought of Akane cooking for him sent another chill down his spine. Maybe his gut could sense death in his next meal. "Where did you two eat then?"

"With my wife," Genma said with a smile on his face. "She made far too much, I'm afraid to say."

Ryouga tried to picture Genma's house in his head, but his mind came up blank. He would just get lost trying to get there.

"I'll take you there, Ryouga-kun," Genma offered, quite out of character for him, Ryouga thought, until the old man added, "I just found another spot to fill."

"If you need help getting back, I'll send one of the kids to get you." Soun warmly patted Ryouga's shoulder. "Good night to you, Ryouga-kun and Saotome-kun. It is time for me to practice before dinner." He left the kitchen.

To Ryouga's relief, he would not be alone for this trip.

* * *

The walk home took so much longer than Kenichi was used to. His aunt's house was only a two train stations away, which took almost no time on bike, but took the better part of an hour on foot. With one bike's tires slashed, the four decided to walk both of the bikes home together. Since his cousin offered to take the borrowed bike back to its owner at the fruit stand where he used to work the following day, they had two bikes to four people and only Reiko owned a bike at her house. Kenichi would have almost assuredly been able to have Kimiko as a passenger. The idea of being so close to her again made his heart race.

Now, the four of them walked separate, except for Rintaro, who was hunched to support Mayako's good shoulder as they walked. She probably did not need it, Kenichi reasoned, but something was happening between them, and he did not want to interfere, lest he evoke his sister's anger.

Both he and Kimiko walked bikes as they had earlier in the day. He felt eager to get her alone again. Everything came back to her. His entire focus felt lost around her. He used to be the most grounded person in the group. Now he felt like he could fly, if she asked.

Kimiko had Mayako's bike on her left arm, placing it in between him and her. She had only shot one glance at him the entire time, and now she seemed to be avoiding both eye contact and a conversation. Her clean red hair, still damp from her shower, freely fanned out on her shoulders, leaving damp marks on her sky blue tank top. He watched the red locks bounce with each step.

"Watch it," Kimiko told him, looking at him quickly.

Surprised by her sudden words, he looked back at her. She merely looked ahead of him. He had almost walked into a lamp post in his obliviousness to everything but her.

"Thanks," he sheepishly replied. As they continued their journey home, he still kept his eyes on her. "So that's what it takes to get you to talk tonight."

"Huh?" she said, furrowing her brows, but keeping her eyes forward "What do you mean?"

"It took me almost walking into a pole to get you to talk. You've been avoiding me ever since we left."

She finally turned to look at him, her piercing blue eyes red with fatigue. They stared at each other for what seemed an uncomfortably long time before she moved to put the bike to her right side. She turned back to him without the bike in the way.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

Kenichi shrugged, not holding back his smile. "I don't know. I just want to walk with you."

She blinked slowly staring at him as if he spoke in tongues. "Isn't that what we're doing?" She seemed more determined to keep her eyes on his, making him even feel a little uncomfortable, and he was the one who enjoyed staring contests.

"Walking beside me doesn't mean you're walking with me," he said quietly. She still looked confused. "Two people can walk next to each other for twenty years and never walk with each other. They're merely sharing space. Walking with each other means acknowledging my existence and sharing words or a feeling."

Kimiko finally broke her stare, her baby blue eyes glancing up and down his body. "I acknowledge you, Kenichi. That mean we're walking with each other?"

His smile broadening, Kenichi nodded.

"Good, because it's the least you deserve," she said mysteriously. "I didn't mean to ignore you. I was just thinking. You know, deep stuff." She smiled back. "I have a lot to decide before I go back to the hotel tonight."

Kenichi's heart picked up with his next thought. "What if you stayed tonight? Don't go to that lonely hotel. Kick back with us. We can tell stories or watch a movie, or something."

With a shrug of her shoulders, Kimiko looked forward with unease in her face. "I don't want to burden your family anymore." He would have immediately answered her and said she was not in any way a burden, but the way she had said it carried more weight than he could interpret.

"Why do you think you're a burden?"

She walked a bit closer, nearly touching him with her free left arm as they traveled in step. "Trouble follows me wherever I go."

Kenichi followed her thought to its logical conclusion. "You can't blame yourself for Mayako's injury. That was something brewing before you even came here." He put his free right hand on her shoulder. The contact made his heart jump again. The butterflies in his stomach wreaked havoc on his mouth. He wanted to say more, but felt unnerved by his own move.

"You might not think it, but this type of thing happens a lot around me."

The streetlights suddenly turned on as they walked. He watched her eyes glance up at them, fall to meet his and then look down at his hand on her arm.

"What?" She looked a little bewildered, meeting his stare again.

"You're beautiful," Kenichi risked, unable to look away. She almost stumbled, but holding her, he was easily able to correct her imbalance. "Are you okay?"

"Why do you think I'm beautiful?" she asked, ignoring his question. Their conversation began to mimic the earlier one they'd had with him explaining his feelings for her.

"I kind of answered that already," he said, trying to wiggle his way out of the Catch-22 question. "Let me reverse this one on you. What do you think about me? Your real, honest, true-to-heart truth."

Kimiko's eyes widened when he asked her. "You answered already?" She turned to stare at her hand that held the bike. "Well, you could always just tell me again."

"Scared to answer my question?"

"No!" She looked at him, her cheeks red. "I'm not scared. I just don't know how to answer that."

"Let me help. You start like this: Kenichi, I think you're blah, blah, blah, and I like blah, blah, blah about you, and don't like blah, blah, blah about you."

She narrowed her eyes for a moment, but then giggled at him. "Kenichi no baka. You know that's not what I meant."

Looking out ahead of him, Kenichi watched the front wheel of his own bike flop around. "Well, okay, how about this. What do you look for in someone you would date?"

"Why do you want to know something stupid like that?" Kimiko demanded, the tone in her voice betraying her agitation. When Kenichi looked at her, he saw the tension in her eyes. Quieter this time, Kimiko spoke again. "What do you want from me, Kenichi Tendou? I'm just a homeless girl with no future." She turned to face him again with those eyes.

Kenichi fell back, more than a little surprised at her anger. Her eyes softened when she saw his reaction.

"I'm sorry," she quietly apologized, bowing her head slightly.

"No, I'm sorry," he replied quickly. He wanted to touch her arm again, but felt it might be inappropriate. "I was only asking in play. I'm sorry if I offended you."

She shook her head. "You didn't. I don't know why I reacted like I did. I'm just feeling a little off today."

The four of them arrived at the train station. The commuter train to Nerima had already arrived as they walked up the stairs to the station. They hurried and piled into the last compartment. Rintaro and Mayako took the corner seat at the head of the train, while Kimiko and Kenichi gave them some space and sat across from them and a few chairs down. The empty train gave them plenty of privacy.

With the bikes hanging on the rack above them, the two finally found the place for the rest of their conversation. He watched her as she slid to the end of the row nearest to the window. He noticed that her navy blue Capri pants matched the color of the cushioned chair.

Before Kenichi began to speak, Kimiko quickly cut him off.

"Before you say anything, I want to tell you something."

He nodded.

"I don't date at all," she began, scooting in so close that her left thigh ran into his right. The contact made his heart beat just a bit faster. "I don't even consider people for dating. I never really did. The first person I ever loved sort of fell on me. I didn't even want to go out with her for the longest time."

_Her?_ Kenichi thought, his mind bewildered. As she continued her story, he could not help but be confused at the details. She spoke as if she might not ever get a chance.

"Before I knew it, we were going to be married by the end of high school. I didn't think it would ever happen like that, but it did." She put her hand on his shoulder fondly, her smile marred only by the pain in her eyes. "One day I was just traveling around Japan and China, and the next I was engaged. I focused on my training so hard that I almost took her for granted. Now, I see you look confused, but please just bear with me. I didn't tell you this on a whim."

Kenichi tried to digest what she had said, but from the feminine pronoun of her significant other to the part about being engaged, he really did not know what to think.

"What I'm trying to say is that my past is really screwed up. More screwed up than you can possibly believe. And I've lied about my past and who I am since we first met. But before I say any more, I want you to swear on your honor, your family and your very life that you won't repeat to anyone what I'm about to tell you."

* * *

"I swear by my honor, my family and my life that I won't ever speak a word of what you'll tell me." The serious tone of Kenichi's voice spoke volumes about his nature. Kimiko knew she could trust him with her secret, but she wondered how much he could accept. She smiled in spite of herself.

"Well, since we don't have much time until the train arrives, I'll give you the brief version. It all starts in this place you might have heard of: Jusenkyo." Kenichi's eyes widened when she said the name. She continued, "I thought you'd know it, with your family's history."

He cocked his head and stared at her. "Everyone knows about Jusenkyo."

It was Kimiko's turn to be surprised. "Everyone?"

"Yeah," Kenichi simply said. "Well, at least, everyone in Nerima. All kinds of people from there got cursed, including the principal of my high school, my aunt Shampoo and a few others."

With the steam of her story all released, Kimiko felt a little disappointed, although that made it easier for him to at least believe her story.

"Hey, how do you know about it?" Kenichi asked, cutting right back into her story. She had to tell him about her past now. She could not help entertaining the thought of bringing such a great person with her to China, even though she knew it would be out of the question.

"That's what I was going to tell you," Kimiko began when Kenichi put his hand to his mouth.

"Did your brother get cursed? I heard he goes to China a lot."

Kimiko shook her head at his question. "Yes, and I did, too."

Hearing that, Kenichi furrowed his brows and looked at her skeptically.

"I'm serious here," she told him. "I'm not trying to tell you any more lies. I swear."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Kenichi said waving his hand in deferment. "Go on."

"Alright," she began again, watching his mouth to make sure he did not have anything left to say. "My pop and I went there some years back. He took me out of school a few months early so we could travel around the country. It wasn't long before some guy convinced my dad over drinks to go with him to China, to make out on some investment. The guy was full of B.S., but my pop didn't know that. He told me it was some training trip that we were going on.

"Anyway, when we got to China, we went to this place where they had guides to all these legendary training grounds. Jusenkyo wasn't close, so we took a bus part of the way and walked the rest. When we got there, we didn't listen to the guide who was yelling at us half in Chinese and half in Japanese. Well, we both fell in good."

Kenichi looked at her in wonder. He then put his hand to his chin and squinted his eyes in thought. "Wait, but we fell in the koi pond together on Sunday. You didn't change."

She nodded in response. "I know, but that's the kicker. The curse stuck, so hot water doesn't work anymore."

With a half-smile, Kenichi stared at her. "You mean you beat it?"

Shaking her head, Kimiko could only say, "It beat me."

Kenichi frowned, looking her up and down. He thought about it for a few moments. She could tell he was trying hard by the strained look on his face.

"I'll make this easy for you," she told him solemnly. "The way you see me now—it's my cursed form."

His jaw gaped open.

"Yeah," she agreed, turning her head to look towards the front of the train car. "I looked a lot different than I do now."

"What, did you get shorter?" Kenichi asked, poking her arm in fun. "I don't see what else could have changed."

"Well, yes, that among other things," Kimiko quietly replied.

"Be blunt with me," Kenichi said to her back. "I don't know what you're getting at. If this is your cursed form, you got off easy. Everyone else turns into an animal. My aunt Shampoo turns into a small, purple cat."

She turned back to face the youth. He no longer looked at all like Akane to her eyes. Although they shared the same eyes and chin, his cheeks looked a bit wider, and his hairline was a little higher. _He just feels right,_ she thought as he kept his eyes focused on her.

Kimiko took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Pressure felt like it was building in her chest. She felt like crying, but held it back. She really liked Kenichi, and telling him the truth felt like exposing every lie she had ever told to the person she cared about the most.

"I need you to promise one more thing," Kimiko whispered. She kept her eyes closed. She took in another breath. "Promise you won't get mad when I tell you?"

"I can't promise that," he said with a wry grin. "Short of you being an animal and falling into a person pool, I can't think of anything that would throw me for a loop."

"I was a boy," she said a moment after he spoke, unable to look at the reaction on his face. She could not bear it. The admission felt wrong now, as if what she had just told him right now was the real lie. She looked back at the things that should have felt wrong to her that she was comfortable with now, such as using the girls' locker room, the girls' bathroom, not to mentioning kissing Kenichi. If she had been in his place at the same age, she would have been sickened to her stomach. But now, just the thought of it sent a tingle down her spine.

It was _**in**_ realizations such as that which made her uneasy with her decision to tell him. She was jeopardizing only her momentary friendship with the son of her ex-fiancé.

"I take it back," he whispered.

The unease in her chest became unbearable and a tear slipped past her defenses and out of nowhere. She gasped suddenly, unaware she had been holding her breath. She squinted her eyes open to view his face. He harshly stared at the seats across from them.

"So it changed your gender?" he asked, gritting his teeth. He seemed unable to look at her. Kimiko could only imagine the pain this was causing him, but she had to tell him. He was the closest thing she had to a real friend here.

"Yes," she whispered back, trying to hold back more tears. She thought telling him would be liberating, but all it felt was as though she had betrayed him.

"Wow, I didn't see that one coming," he said quietly, putting his hands on his knees.

When she saw his reaction, she had little doubt that she just lost a friend. He pressed his fingertips to his forehead, his mouth open and his eyes fixated on his knees. Another tear dripped down her cheek, but she barely noticed it until it reached her lips. She wiped it away and turned to look out the window of the train. She recognized their location. They were close to his home.

"Do you understand what I told you?" she asked quietly, observing him closely. He still did not look at her. She wondered if he ever would again.

"Yes," he replied, his voice strained. "I understand the words, but what am I supposed to say to them? It's not something you hear every day, you know?"

He looked up and out through the window as the train's brakes engaged, slowly bringing the car to a halt. She could feel the tension in the air as he obviously avoided looking at her. As he stood up, she copied him, trying to calm herself down. Looking away from everyone as the other two joined them, Kimiko occupied herself with retrieving the bike she carried.

The four youths piled out of the train as the doors slid open. Mayako walked out on her own with Rintaro right behind her. They did not seem to notice anything, too preoccupied with each other. Kenichi followed them, his step slower than usual. He glanced back at Kimiko as she followed him out, but turned to face forward quickly.

The walk home seemed as though it was going to be one of the longest of her life.

* * *

A resounding knock on the door startled Soun awake. He had fallen asleep on the back porch, cooling off after performing a long series of katas. He no longer had the stamina of his middle age. Shaking the drowsiness from his head, he stood, entered through the back and walked into the living room when he heard the door open.

"Ryouga-kun?" he asked aloud, suddenly curious as to why he would knock. He glanced down at his wristwatch and noticed only an hour had passed since Ryouga had left.

Halfway through the dining room, he heard a reply.

"Wrong, old man," a thick, masculine voice informed him.

In another second, he stood face to face with a tall man in a long trench coat and hat. Beneath the disguise, Soun recognized an old foe.

"I told you not to come back!" Soun shouted at him, furious that the man before him had returned. "We do not have the answers you seek!"

"You have this one, old fool," he said, cracking his knuckles. "You will tell me where your son-in-law is."

Suddenly, Soun felt his heartbeat quicken as perspiration ran down his cheeks and forehead. The last time this man had come, Soun had much of his family to fight with him, should this villain have attacked. Unfortunately, no one was home to protect him this time. He would have to fight or surrender.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Soun figured Genma and Ryouga could handle themselves against this fiend, so he conceded. "They retired to Genma Saotome's house."

Removing his hat, the man revealed his scarred features. It had been at least five years since he had come here looking for an answer to the question Soun and his family had sought themselves. The villain seemed to consider his answer for a moment before tossing his hat aside.

"You know what I can do to you," the tall, dark man simply stated, closing the distance between him and Soun. "There's no reason to hide his location. I will eventually find him."

Soun's eyes opened wide. He had not considered the man would not believe his answer. He had nothing else to tell him.

"I do not lie," Soun told the man, his voice starting to break. "I swear, he left here not an hour ago."

The angry features of the man changed into a smirk. Apparently, that answer pleased him very much.

"Good, that will save me the trouble of hunting him down. Unless of course, you lied to me. Then I'll have to turn this beating into murder."

Soun's blood turned cold the instant before the man pounced. Relying on his instincts, he managed to avoid the villain's charge, which crashed through the area he had stood a split second after he'd left it. Retreating to the deck in the back of the house, Soun pushed his body to run, but the exhaustion of his walk across town, the meal and his workout made it more difficult than he had imagined. His old body could not escape his pursuer.

He ducked into the dojo moments before the man caught him. Soun tumbled to avoid the blow intended to knock him in the back of his head. He sprang back up across from his opponent, now facing off with him. Falling into his style of Anything-Goes, he felt oddly comfortable.

"I'm just going to bruise you a little, old man," the villain told him, stopped scantly six feet from him. "I just want to give your family more reason to answer my questions. Your son-in-law got the best of me before, but that was when I was injured. Now I'm whole and he's not."

Soun did not respond, saddened at this turn of events. He had taken up training with his daughter again after Ranma had vanished, if only to ease the pain of his disappearance. What was a simple means of alleviating their pain had become a new purpose. He had felt renewed by his training, even if he could never come to the level he had been at under his old master's thumb. Even then, he was nowhere near the level Ranma had been at his peak, and also below his daughter and the most impressive Ryouga.

However, he would go down fighting, even if it cost him his life. No longer would he be the fool who watched from the corner, tears in his eyes and fear in his face. Soun would prove his manhood, even in his old age.

The fight did not last long. The last rays of sunlight from outside the dojo shone on his face as he slumped back against the far wall of the arena. The sky was _**as**_ nearly red from what he could see. He imagined his blood pooling on the floor, but it only poured from his nose and down the side of his face.

* * *

The entourage of the four teenagers neared the house moments before Soun's defeat. The talkative nature of their journey had ended after the train ride. It suited Rintaro just fine with Mayako hanging onto him, but Kenichi insisted on helping on the other side though he still walked the bike. He obviously intended to ignore the redhead that trailed behind them sullenly. Mayako seemed to notice it as well as she had cast a few long glances between her brother and Kimiko.

If the tiff they'd in the train led to anything, Rintaro hoped Kimiko would leave to wherever she had come from and leave him undisputed champ of Nerima, a title that had slipped into ambiguity once this usurper arrived. He turned his head and caught a glimpse of her walking about six feet behind them.

Something about her just seemed so familiar.

The redhead brushed past them suddenly and pushed the gate open for the three, having left the bike she walked against the wall. She waved them in and they obliged her, entering the Tendou grounds. As he walked past her, Rintaro felt goosebumps rise on his arms. He exchanged a look with the girl before continuing his way to the house.

"I think I'm going straight to sleep," Mayako announced to them.

As they approached the house, Rintaro stopped. Someone had left the front door ajar.

"What?" Kenichi asked. Rintaro saw the boy looking across his sister at him.

"The door's open," Rintaro informed them, glancing around the visible perimeter of the house. "Isn't that strange?"

Kenichi shrugged and pulled his sister up to the door, pushed it open and walked in. Rintaro stared after them for a moment, when Kimiko joined him.

"Are you staying?" she asked quietly. Her pretty blue eyes sparkled in the dying light of the sun.

"Of course," he said, looking after the twins, who had disappeared into the house. "Never mind, let's go in."

The two walked through the front door and into the house. He heard Kenichi and Mayako walking up the stairway. After discarding their shoes, they walked to the foot of the stairs.

"Hey, I'm going to go hang out in the dojo," Kimiko said to him as he approached the stairs.

In response, Rintaro shrugged.

She narrowed her eyes and rested her hands on her hips. "If anyone asks," —by which he was sure she meant Kenichi—"let 'em know, okay?"

"Whatever," he replied. "Just don't steal anything."

The black look she shot him made him feel good about himself. She stormed past the stairs and into the living room. He walked after the twins.

Rintaro jogged up the stairs and walked towards the end of the hall where Mayako's room was. He steeled himself to go there again, where his life had seemed to begin anew after waking up in her care. That moment made him realize he needed her. He intended to enter the room when he heard whispered voices from inside. The twins talked.

"That's no excuse for treating her like that," he heard Mayako say loudly. What she said next escaped his ears, but he could guess what they were talking about and stepped away from the door. He did not want to overhear anything about Kenichi and Kimiko's pseudo-relationship.

Rintaro slouched against the wall in the hall, when about a minute later Kenichi exited the room. He sternly nodded at Rintaro who took his place.

* * *

Pushing the door open to his room, Kenichi sighed deeply. He had had enough of today. He wanted to go to sleep, wake up and forget it existed. It had started badly in the morning, with his sister embarrassing him, and had drawn to a close with his sister getting beaten up and the girl he wanted more than anything dropping a stranger story on him than he could have imagined.

He flipped on the light and looked at the mural he had painted on the wall. He had drawn it when he was twelve and filled with that type of inspiration. Now he despised it. He had just seen a show with his friends and came up with this image. He had drawn the world people wanted, the pristine earth, in a myriad of earthy colors. The line through the center represented the cross between dreams and reality, separating the beautiful dream of the natural from the reality of the mechanical world, drawing it with metallic, shiny colors.

It made him angry that he could be that imaginative then, and not have a shred of that now. Everything had felt so clear when he'd drawn that. The dichotomy of it had seemed so simple. Cut the world into two. One was evil; one was good. He did not have to sift through grays to find that he was a baka and his perfect match was supposedly a boy.

He shook his head. He did not want to start moping. Although tempted to sleep through everything and sort it out in the morning, he doubted he would ever see Kimiko again in that case. A guilty part of him asked if that would be so bad. He knew hardly anything about her, and did not know if he could believe what little she had told him in their conversations.

She carried a lot of emotional baggage, he knew, from how she guarded any information about herself, especially regarding her love life. Now, he wondered if it came from whatever curse was afflicting her body, and affecting her soul.

He knew he had to talk with her at least once more, to get the whole story and make a decision then about whether to pursue her. He had no idea what he was getting himself into anymore. Before it made sense, charming her with his life here, convincing her little by little that she belonged.

She fitted into his life like a lost piece of the puzzle. She knew the Anything-Goes Style, somehow, through her mysterious brother. She liked his friends and even seemed to like him somewhere in her heart, even if she avoided getting too deep. And then there was that feeling of having met her before that made him wonder if fate had brought them together.

Maybe Kami-sama had plans, but Kenichi certainly could not figure them out. This piece of the puzzle had been left in the weather too long, and seemed to not stick in its slot tightly enough to stay.

Kenichi stood sharply, suddenly knowing his place. He had to continue on the path he had started and find out where it would end.

But before he could take a step towards the door, a noise from outside caught his attention. His room, his mother's old room, overlooked the dojo in the koi pond and the dojo in the back. He peered out. It would have been too dark to see anything, but the light in the dojo covered the area in light and shadows. He wondered if that was where Kimiko had gone. He certainly had not looked back before helping his sister to her room.

He watched for a moment when he saw Kimiko tumble out of the dojo doors as if thrown. He furrowed his brows and stared at her dumbly for a moment, not understanding the situation. She did not immediately get up as she might have if she were training. He wondered who she could be training with as the three she had arrived with were upstairs. The only other people would have been his mother or his grandfather, but both options seemed so unlikely.

As he put his hand to the handle of the window seal to open it, she started pushing herself to her feet. Kenichi watched in stunned horror as a tall man in a suit exited the dojo, walking towards Kimiko. His stomach turned in circles as he watched the spectacle.

Kimiko wobbled as she stood there, unable to defend herself. Kenichi's thoughts sharpened to a fine edge as adrenaline rushed through his body. He wasted not a single second more, only slowing a moment to open his door on the way out.

* * *

Kimiko made her way through the house to the back, where she found the sliding door to the backyard wide open. The room remained strangely dark. She approached it cautiously, moving quickly to the door.

She peered out, her eyes catching a flicker of movement from the dojo. The door to the dojo was closed, though she could tell the light remained on. The light on the inside was linked to the ones on the outside. She shrugged, leaving the house and walking into the backyard.

When she had made the decision to go to the dojo instead of upstairs in order to avoid feeling awkward around Kenichi, she had not considered that Akane might be training at her destination. Just being around her felt like walking across hot coals. The woman was no longer the Akane that had been engaged to Ranma. Seeing her reminded her of the years she had lost.

She took a deep breath as her bare feet stepped onto the wooden planks of the dojo. Standing at the door, she calmed herself, brushing her hands through her ponytail, which felt tight. She pulled out the tie and let her hair fall to her shoulders.

Seemingly moving of its own accord, her left hand jerked out, and slid the dojo's door open. What she saw confused her. Someone lay at the end of the mat, as if asleep. She took a few steps in, forgetting to close the door behind her.

Suddenly, she knew who it was.

"Tendou-san?" Her voice sounded strange, the height of its pitch, the tremor of fear. He did not look asleep. He looked dead. Everything shut down as she rushed to him, dropping to her knees early and sliding to a stop at his side. His face looked smashed, his nose broken and his puffy eyelids matched the dark blue of his bruised cheeks.

"Tendou-san?" she asked again, more loudly, her voice teetering on the edge of panic. She put one hand under his head and pressed the other to his neck. His pulse beat regularly, but he looked like hell. She breathed out a sigh, pulling her hands back gently, when she noticed the blood on the hand that had touched the back of his head. Her eyes opened wide.

"Head wounds bleed a lot, do they not?" a deep voice asked from behind her.

The fear vanished just as quickly as it had appeared the moment she saw a man who could have been her father-in-law, had circumstances not led her to this moment in time. Calm chi poured through her, the powerful white chi that always amazed her with its foreignness.

She took her time standing, drawing up in one motion, gliding to the position in which she would spin. With one step, she faced Soun's attacker. A tall, unfamiliar man stood at the exit of the dojo. He wore a brown trench coat and stood so very tall, he must have been a head taller than she had been when she could still return to her male form.

"I don't think we've met," the man said calmly, twirling a hat in his hand, which he placed over his short, black hair. "You must be one of the rug rats' friends." He smiled, walking slowly towards her.

"Why did you do this?" Kimiko asked calmly, subtly placing her right foot behind her left as she looked down towards Soun. He lay so still.

"No," the man said, stopping in the middle of that mat. "That's now how this works." He cracked his fingers, one at a time, his eyes glaring at her from the depths of the shadows gathered under the brim of his hat. "I ask the questions, and you answer. Otherwise, I might have to bruise your pretty little face."

The smallest tendril of anger rippled over the surface of her calm. He did not seem to like her reaction, as his words had not even remotely shaken her, and so he took another step.

"So, you think you can take me?" His voice asked darkly, though she could hear a vain mirth behind it. "You probably weigh half my weight and you have no more than a quarter of my skill. Nothing short of Ryouga arriving could save you now."

The name of her rival spoken from the lips of a total stranger startled her.

"And how is that?" Kimiko soundly asked, trying not to let anger cloud her mind. It took almost all of her willpower.

"I should give you a black eye for asking a question," the man told her, shaking his head. "But since that's why I'm here, I'll tell you. Ryouga is why I'm here. I don't care about anything but finding him."

Kimiko stared at him in disbelief. She could not connect how beating Soun would bring him any closer to Ryouga. "So why this?"

"He's merely a way of getting what I want," the man explained quickly. "This is the time you shut up and listen. I'm gonna ask you a few questions. You answer. It's that simple. If you don't answer or your answer doesn't satisfy me, I may add you to K.O. pile."

His threat did not scare her, but she wanted as much information as she could about his movements, his skills and his background before she took him on.

"Who are you?"

"Kimiko Nishiyama," she answered, no more than a second before he asked the second question.

"How do you know the Tendous?"

"Friend of the children," she answered, sizing him up. He looked like he could back up his words. He had stayed out of her awareness until he spoke. He could have been somewhere else, but she had a feeling, he had been hiding in plain sight.

"Who's your master?"

Kimiko narrowed her eyes. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

This drew a loud crack of the knuckles from the stranger. "That will cost you one bloody nose. Now, answer my question."

"No more questions," she replied, ready to test his skills. "I have one for you, though. Who are you?"

The man shook his head, removing his hat and tossing it aside. "You have guts, girl. I'm not sure if you're just stupid, but I'll play your game if you play mine. Tell me who your master is, and I'll tell you my name."

Suddenly, it dawned upon Kimiko that she knew this man. The combination of his cocky attitude, his face, his mannerisms and his stance all added up to a conclusion of familiarity. She knew him somehow. The memory of his name would not come to her, so she decided to play his game.

"Past or present?" she said back.

The man threw his arms up in the air. "What are you, fourteen? I don't care. Who do you consider your primary teacher? Who taught you your basics?"

Weighing her answer, she thought for a few seconds about how to answer it. "Those are two different people. I learned the basics from my father."

The man rolled his eyes. "That's not a good enough answer and will cost you a broken arm. Tell me all of your masters and I might consider not breaking one of your legs, too.

He took another step closer when she noticed something strange about the man's clothing. As his coat opened, she noticed something irregular. Although he wore a dress coat and pants underneath his trench coat, a dark spherical object was strapped to his hip. This also seemed strangely familiar. Her memories, unfortunately, no longer sparked as quickly as she would have liked.

"Well, it's the best you'll get from me," she replied. "My father taught me the basics. When I surpassed him, I found training among various masters. My current trainer is my step-brother."

"That cost you a leg and some broken ribs. I'm afraid, I don't have that much more I can break without killing you." The man spoke with such confidence, she knew she could play him. "I admire your spunk, though, and will give you one more chance to tell me something interesting."

"You're pathetic," she replied, holding back her adrenaline from wasting her precious energy.

The man stopped midstep and raised his brows in surprise. "I think I'll start with your face. You're entirely too cute to leave it as is. A few scars will do it some good."

Kimiko fell into the most basic stance as regularly as she could, evenly dividing her weight between her legs. Concentrating as hard as she could, she weaved her chi around her tightly to absorb the shock of his punches.

He darted forward, his opening move a sucker punch designed to be the beginning of her end. Although his move was remarkably quick, it felt like a minute passed before he reached her with a quick jab. The strike struck her squarely in the cheek. She felt a twinge of pain as the force knocked her over the unconscious Soun and into the wall. It would probably leave a bruise, but it did little damage.

"Just as I expected from a girl," the man said, almost sadly as he stood near her.

Kimiko kept her eyes closed, ready for his next move. Kimiko flexed her neck muscles as she felt one of his hands grasp it. Easily lifting her, he held her face up to his.

"You get cheeky with me, and I break you cheek bones," he told her with a tone he might have used in any other situation. He wound back his arm back and she prepared her chi again. This time, it smashed into the other cheek with so much power that it actually shook whole body, but she still managed to go forward with her plan, striking his arm several times after it struck her face.

She fell back into the wall, feigning to be pained by his attack. He threw another punch towards her face, but this one she dodged, feigning a fall straight to the floor. His fist struck the dojo's wall just before she hit the edge of the mat with her body. She lay still at his feet, holding her energy back. It was not time yet.

"Yes, you're eating your words now," he said smugly, picking her up by the back of her shoulders. She pushed off the dojo wall with a lot of force, pushing into his stomach as hard as she could. The move caught him off guard and he fell back, bringing her with him. They both collapsed onto the mat in a heap, she on top of him. She struck him numerous times, both in the air and on the ground.

She rolled off him slowly pushed herself to her hands and knees. She knew he had gotten to his feet quickly and reached her only a moment after she had reached her current position. Just as she expected, his foot appeared beneath her as he kicked towards her ribs. She subtly blocked each kick with the palm of her right hand, which she held close to her stomach as if guarding herself, each time striking his foot and leg.

On the last one she fell to her side and rolled over to her back. She looked up at him pitifully, the color of his punches decorating her cheeks.

"You absorb punishment well, girl," the man said, almost as if a compliment. "But by now, I bet your whole body hurts. I really wouldn't even have done much more than knock you around if not for your mouth."

She heard him crack his knuckles. "Hmm, it's a bit warm in here, yes? I think I'll finish the job outside."

With that, he lifted her with one hand on her left breast and the other under her stomach. He then threw her hard towards the dojo's entrance. She flew most of the way and then rolled with the throw and managed to generate enough energy to tumble her way out of the dojo entirely, finally resting on the ground just below the wooden porch of the dojo.

The ruse had worked better than she could have planned. All of her strikes went unnoticed. A couple more would give her a significant advantage against his size. He might have been as skilled as she was, but she wondered about his lack of awareness about her counterattacks.

She slowly got to her feet, but as she rose, her legs wobbled, drawing a chuckle from the man.

"Just stay down, girl. I don't need you standing to break your arm and your leg."

That was close enough for her. Without even lifting her head to look at his location, she took a couple lightning quick steps forward, leaping into him with all of her might. The blow knocked him straight back into the dojo. This time, he rolled to a stop, though, at the middle of the mat.

All while he tumbled, she had followed, so that when he halted in the middle of the mat under his own volition, she pounced the next second, jumping onto his back. The sudden blast of her weight landing on him knocked him back down.

She fiercely struck four pressure points on his back, making no attempt to be subtle about it this time, the moved down his legs and struck two more.

A moment later, he pushed himself up, leaping to his feet. She pressed off him towards the side of the dojo. He stood a bit shaky this time, his body shuddering slightly.

"What the—?" he asked, moving his limbs slowly. "Damn it, what the hell is this?"

"A trick my pops taught me," Kimiko informed him casually, cracking her knuckles. "Hurts, huh?"

He raised his head to look up at her, the strain in his face apparent. "So you're another Saotome. I should have known. You look just like the lot of them."

She stared at him coldly, letting the adrenaline course through her body freely, inviting the nervous energy it imparted. It felt good, readying all of her techniques to fully lay into this guy. She wanted to hear lots of cracking bones.

"It's going to take more than pressure point tricks to win this one," the man informed her stretching his arms back. "Though, I really admire your endurance. You obviously endured some Bakusai Tenketsu training, or am I wrong?"

Before she could reply smartly, Kenichi burst into the room and barreled into the man faster than Kimiko imagined he could move. The smacking sound of their bodies colliding made Kimiko grimace. They slid on the mat a second before Kenichi rolled off the man and rushed in with a brutal kick to the man's chest.

Kimiko's surprise increased when the man caught Kenichi's foot with ease, throwing the boy straight at her. Kimiko braced herself and caught Kenichi, only taking a few steps back to balance the two of them.

Kenichi's berserker state seemed to wane a bit as he looked back at Kimiko, his eyes still burning with rage. At that moment, he reminded her of Ryouga so much that she put her hand to her mouth. This time, however, the look was not for her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded and then motioned towards Soun with her head.

"Grandfather!" he cried out, making a move for the old man.

Kimiko caught him with one arm and pulled him back quick enough for him to avoid the stranger's amazingly quick sidekick. As she stumbled back, trying to balance both her and Kenichi's weight again, she marveled at his recovery from her pressure point technique. Anyone normal would have been unable to move much, if at all. She had used a lesser version against Kunou in their first match at Furinkan High School.

Without the disabling technique, Kenichi would probably already be knocked down on the floor, instead of stumbling back in her arms.

Both teenagers dodged back, putting space between them and their attacker.

"Why?" Kenichi demanded, his voice trembling. "What did my grandfather ever do to you?"

"He associated with a villain so despicable that he makes me look like a saint." The man seethed with anger now, glowering at them. His look rustled around in her memories, stirring more things she could not recall of a past she no longer could even consider relevant.

"What?" Kenichi asked, but the man did not answer with words.

He approached them quickly, though this time he attacked Kimiko, his leg shooting out at hers so swiftly, his foot brushed hers as she jumped back. It stung, though it missed. She knew he had to have been holding the strength of his blows back before she showed she could manage them.

He followed up with a lunging sidekick that she blocked with her hands, unable to dodge anymore as she was too close to both Kenichi and the wall of the dojo. When he pulled back his foot to repeat the kick, she felt the stinging added to her hands as well. Kenichi did not waste anymore time talking, punching at the man while he attacked the redhead, but he was deflected.

The block enabled Kimiko to counterattack. She used her Chestnut Fist against him, now that he was within range, raining dozens of blows against his arm and lower side. The rest of his body had been brought forward towards Kenichi to block.

Unable to shield himself from Kimiko's barrage, the man leaped back, drawing something from his coat pocket. Kimiko's eyes widened as he threw a shuriken at Kenichi. Kenichi had no chance to catch the first, which struck his arm, burying itself in his flesh as he used it to guard his face. The second he did catch, however, in a testament to his training under Akane.

The third one Kimiko caught as she moved to Kenichi's aid. She tossed it back at the man's leg, which stopped the fourth from leaving his hand. He leaped aside out of the shuriken's path.

Kimiko put her hand against Kenichi's chest, pushing him back. He understood the gesture and took the time to take care of the shuriken while she occupied the brute.

"I recognize your fighting style," Kimiko said, her energy waning more than she thought it should have. "It's a version of Anything-Goes, isn't it?"

The man grinned, quickly retrieving the third shuriken from the mat and then placing it back in his pocket. He watched Kenichi patch himself up, strangely allowing them time to recover.

"It's not a pure form, so I think you got it from a third party." She ran some of his movements through her head again. It definitely reminded her of her own style, however altered. "You've definitely met the founder."

This caught the man's attention. He looked at her with a new intensity that he had not shown before. "You've studied under him." The emphasis he placed on the pronoun startled her. It sounded like a paranoiac using the catchall "they" to refer to a conspiracy group.

"Huh?" she asked, truly confused. She wondered if he referred to Happosai, her now strangely beautiful step-brother.

"You trained under the devil," he said, licking his cracked lips. "You had to have to know of him. Yes, you did. I know it. You're too young to have trained with him before he disappeared."

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Kenichi demanded, his eyes never leaving the man.

Kimiko shot him a look that meant for him to shut up, but the man gladly answered.

"I'm talking about the missing link of your treasured little school."

Kenichi would not understand that answer, Kimiko reasoned.

"He's talking about someone who's long dead," Kimiko said as evenly as she could. She could feel her calm energy draining from her body slowly, but certainly. The fight she'd had earlier today had left little of her usual energy reserves. She had fought so many fights recently that the exhaustion common to her early days after the coma felt as if it were returning.

"What?" the man asked, his voice higher than she had ever heard it. "Dead? That old bat? Impossible."

He did mean Happosai. She connected the dots, putting the mental mug shot of him together with his hatred of Happosai, the canteen on his hip and everything else about him. Twenty years had changed this man more than anyone else. He was so twisted by his curses that she no longer recognized him.

"You're talking about Master Happosai?" Kimiko said, amazed by the one part of the man that had not changed over the ears.

The time he had given them ended when she spoke last. He rushed at her with so much purpose that she realized a bit too late she would not be able to avoid his charge in time. Luckily, Kenichi had recovered, doing her the favor of pulling her back and jumping in her place.

The two men collided again, but this time Kenichi was thrown back. Kimiko moved in and struck the man's ribs with a dozen blows of her Chestnut Fist before he started to block her attacks. He countered with a subtle kick that Kimiko barely noticed in time. It struck her on the back of her knee, which she had rolled just in time to avoid it striking her squarely and breaking her kneecap. Instead it knocked her to a kneeling position.

Kenichi countered the charge finally, but the man swatted his attacks aside and still managed to kick Kimiko in the ribs. Unable to roll with it or block it, Kimiko absorbed the full of the blast without the protection of her chi. She released a quick shriek before the blow sapped her breath and the bone-crunching blast knocked her back three feet before she fell over backward.

Stunned, it took her a few moments to recover. The pain of the kick did less than her loss of chi. All the energy she had accumulated in preparation of the fight had evaporated. The exertion of so many fights in such a short period of time hurt her so much more than the kick, though several of her ribs felt broken. Luckily for her, Kenichi had been able to hold the man back from attacking her, though she had not been able to spare any energy to notice how he fared.

Ten seconds in a fight could easily mean victory or defeat, and as she rose to her feet, Kenichi looked to be near the latter. The man savagely attacked him. Her friend could do little but defend himself.

She knew she had to divert attention to herself, and quickly.

"I know your secret, old man!" she yelled as loudly as she could will herself.

Shoving Kenichi to the ground, the man she recognized to be a figure out of her past stopped and turned his attention to Kimiko for a brief second. He smiled and then lifted his leg to crush Kenichi. For his part, Kenichi looked okay, but the attack seemed to leave him dazed.

"I'm talking to you, Pantyhose!"

Taro's foot paused above Kenichi for a moment before falling beside his other one. His aura started to burn around him, rippling so quickly that it began to hurt her eyes. Anger literally coalesced down his body as the veins on his neck pulsated.

"You will die for that," Pantyhose Taro promised slowly, his body rigid with fury. "I'm going to tear you apart!" As if to make good with his words immediately, the older version of the same tall, feminine young man that had challenged Kimiko in her other life so well turned to glower at his new opponent.

As Taro turned, Kenichi rolled away, pulling himself together. Kimiko realized one other thing that could hurt her plans to win this fight. If Taro had grown in skill and size, she wondered how that might affect his monstrous form. She seriously started to doubt her ability to defeat him.

Taro left a trail of chi in his wake. The fiery red aura around him began to gather around his fists. Without her chi shield, Taro would easily do as he promised.

"You're still looking for Happosai, aren't you?" Kimiko speculated aloud, hoping to stall him.

Again, Taro's narrowed eyes opened wide, his anger flowing even more strongly upon her speaking of the name.

"You DO know him!" he shouted, his chi ripping around him violently. Even Kenichi should be able to see that aura.

"Yes, I know everything about him," she said, backing towards the door of the dojo.

Taro stared at her, his eyes transfixed. "Tell me where he is."

Kiyoshi could handle himself. Surely, he could fight this monster, she hoped. If Rintaro and the rest of the family's martial artists did not aid them soon, she might have to tell him what he wanted to know.

"Will you leave if I do?" Kimiko asked, feeling the breeze from outside. A few more steps and she could make a run for it. Taro would certainly follow her and ignore Kenichi. Soun could get the help he needed.

Taro matched each step she took, but did not approach. His anger did not wax nor wane, but by the greedy look on his face, she knew her lure had worked.

"You have to promise not to hurt this family ever again."

"Done," Taro agreed, grinning in such a way that she knew he did not care about anything else. "I won't hurt them."

"Then follow me!" she shouted, and then turned and fled.

"No, wait!" Kenichi yelled after her as she ran across the backyard.

"Get help for Soun, Kenichi-kun!" she shouted back before leaping the perimeter wall in one bound.

* * *

Mayako raced down the stairs, only taking care not to jostle her arm. She and Rintaro had been getting intimate in her room when they had heard some noise from out back. They tried to ignore it, but Rintaro got curious and opened the window in time to hear Kimiko's yell. Rintaro had wasted no time and jumped out the window. She watched him for a second in awe, before running through the house to follow.

She reached the living room where she tripped over Kimiko's bags. The door was closed, but as she opened it, she caught sight of Rintaro at the entrance of the dojo. He remained there for less than a second and took off into the shadows. Mayako ran to follow, but he leaped to the top of the perimeter wall, glanced back and then jumped into the darkness.

She turned toward the dojo, running to peek in. She saw Kenichi standing above the body of someone who looked seriously injured.

"Mayako," her brother said in a small voice. "Call the police. I have to go help Kimiko." He ran towards her and she barely had time to move out of the way before he left her there, standing at the entrance of the dojo.

* * *

Rintaro instinctively followed the trail of burning red energy. His eye for auras paid off today as this one was left in the wake of whatever villain had hurt his sensei. He would punish this criminal severely. When he found Kenichi wounded, his Sensei brutally injured and blood spatters on the mat of the dojo, he knew this is what he had to do. He had even recovered a couple of shurikens from the floor of the dojo.

It took him a few minutes of running through the streets of Nerima, but he knew he gained on his prey. He knew exactly where this man was going. They were on a path directly to Furinkan High School. Knowing this, he cut through an alley. He would get ahead of this scoundrel and ambush him at a place before the school where there would be no escape.

* * *

Instinct alone ran her body down the streets of Nerima. It never occurred to Kimiko to lead her assailant to a police station, or any place of authority that might aid her. If it had, she would have probably ignored it. The call of the martial artist to protect loved ones did not involve police, but only oneself and her desire to defend them on her terms. Taro wanted only her now. That was how she wanted it. With no one to protect, she could unleash everything that remained.

So when she found herself on a familiar path, she knew that the school's recreation grounds would be the only place she could recall where she could fight without notice. At this time of night during summer vacation, no one would be on the premises. The run was relatively short, but had a few obstacles. Water would be dangerous on her trip. If any water triggered Taro's cursed form, she might not have a chance to defeat the beast.

That meant anywhere near the river or the bridge on the way to Furinkan would be disastrous. She would have to quickly disarm him of the flask once they arrived at the school.

She also considered diplomacy. With her knowledge, she could avoid combat, but that would involve betraying her adopted brother. He would not be pleased to hear his identity revealed to an unstable and dangerous opponent. Certainly, Kiyoshi could defeat Taro, but the revealing of his identity would be disastrous for him. If anyone then did the math, they could figure out her identity as well.

This felt like playing shoji to her. She had to weigh each move carefully, or she would regret the smallest slip of her tongue for the rest of her life.

"Where are you going?" Taro demanded, betraying his distance from her. She had possibly gained a few yards since they'd left the dojo.

She did not respond, but continued running down the street adjacent to her old path to school. She did not want to risk falling into the water, so she kept a street away.

"Damn you, girl!" she heard a moment later. This time it sounded as if he were a bit closer, but without turning her head, she could not be sure.

If she went a street over, she would find herself near the place Akane used to like to skip stones into the river, just before the bridge. She made good time in arriving there.

Kimiko turned the corner to the right and ran straight for the bridge. Strangely, no traffic filled the road. On a weeknight, she would have expected someone to be driving home. Barely considering the road, she flew across the street and onto the bridge. Luckily for her, no boats crossed the bridge, so the crossing remained lowered. She had not considered that possible problem when choosing this path.

Picking up the pace, Kimiko hoped to make it across the bridge without incident. The walkway across the bridge was narrow and often filled at night with any combination of homeless and young couples. The many nooks of the bridge enabled people to hide both underneath and along the raised suspension. She had once climbed over the side of the bridge in a dare from her friends and found a nice place to sit while having pretended to fall.

She almost made it halfway across when the most unexpected thing happened. Her pursuer stopped. Slowing, Kimiko turned her head and looked behind her. Nearly twenty feet behind her, Taro engaged a new opponent, the echoing of their feet creating vibrations along the metal walkway.

The image of her genetic brother fighting Taro took her aback. His attack looked chaotic in the way Anything-Goes always did; as a high level black belt of the art, she could see the pattern and recognized the moves that her father had taught her so long ago. If not for his moves, she might not even have recognized him in the dim light. The two fought in between two sets of lamp posts, obviously an ambush point that Rintaro had chosen for this moment. How he had got ahead of them was anyone's guess.

Rintaro came close to achieving Chestnut Fist speeds with his barrage of punches and kicks. He still wore the clothes he had nicked from Kenichi, but they would need replacing now. She watched the torn sleeves and pants legs from her position and marveled at how much damage Taro caused in only his defensive blocks.

"What the hell is this?" Taro demanded as he did a move Kimiko just missed analyzing. He knocked Rintaro without hurting him much, but the blast seemed quite powerful and sent the boy tumbling. Kimiko lowered her center of gravity and pushed into his fall, softening his roll and catching him.

Kimiko lifted Rintaro to his feet as quickly as she could. He did not seem to notice the help as he quickly regained his balance. He rushed forward without even consulting her, but she quickly grabbed him by the shoulders.

Rintaro shot her a glance, but she ignored him.

"You've made enemies, Taro-san," she said carefully, not wishing to enrage him anymore. On the bridge, he had the advantage. They could not avoid his attacks here and he could no doubt absorb more damage than they.

"Well then, after I beat him, tell me where the old man is," the tall man said coolly.

"Who the hell is this, Nishiyama-san?" Rintaro asked, his voice sharp. He was mad. She could hear his heart beating, the violence in his voice. She could not blame him after what he _**did**_ had done to Soun, but she had a few more things to worry about.

"Never mind that," she said quietly, but a bit too loud. Her body, still flooded with endorphins from the run, felt light, and her ears rang slightly. "We need to get moving."

"No!" Taro shot back. He took a few steps towards them. "This ends here! I will not allow you to escape again."

"We're not going anywhere, whoever the hell you are," Rintaro said in a near growl. "I am going to rip you apart."

The laughter of response Rintaro received sounded like the maniacal laughter of a villain from a silly movie.

"A boy after my own heart," Taro said, cracking his knuckles with such a pop that Kimiko could imagine someone across the bridge hearing the echo. He approached them in a slow walk, but their distance was so little now it made her nervous. She pulled her brother back, stepping away from their attacker.

"I think it's about time I got my answer, girl," the violent man said. "If you prolong this, you and your little friend are going to both lose limbs. I'm sure you don't want that. Now tell me!"

"What's he talking about?" Rintaro asked, his voice filled with something Kimiko did not want directed at her.

"She knows something about the man whom I am sworn to kill." Taro's statement even drew a bit of wonder out of Kimiko. He seemed to want not just a name change, but the death of Happosai. She supposed the twenty-odd years he spent hunting the old man had twisted him, but still felt weird hearing how far he had gone for his revenge.

"Who is this person?" Rintaro demanded. His bloodlust seemed temporarily abated, but she knew he must have seen Soun. She did not know if they were close, but Rintaro's hatred seemed to suggest it.

She did not have much time to consider her answer, but nothing short of a half-truth would do for this occasion. She could not risk letting something slip that would jeopardize her brother's identity with a real Saotome nearby.

"A very old man who stopped living a long time ago," Kimiko said mysteriously. "He's gone, Taro-san. You will find nothing but his remains any longer."

"Wrong answer, girl," Taro said ominously, close enough for her to make out the details of his appearance. He no longer supported the shirt and coat, having lost them somewhere on the road, but sported a modified version of his green scale vest that now encompassed his bulk. It left nothing to the imagination, as it conformed to his body. Luckily for her eyes, he still wore his pants, though they looked like someone had run the bottom of them through a shredder.

"I don't have any others for you," Kimiko said, hoping he could come to accept that Kiyoshi no longer was the same person that Taro searched for.

"What old man is this?" Rintaro demanded again, to her alone this time. "Tell me, Kimiko."

"This isn't the time," Kimiko replied, glaring at him. She wished she could have gotten to the school where it would be safer to fight. With Rintaro, they could win with enough room. Here, she could neither use a chi blast, nor the move she knew would render this easily-angered fool to a pulp.

"Yes, it is!" Rintaro yelled. His voice echoed throughout the metal bridge, but the horn of a boat obscured his voice from traveling too far. "My sensei is nearly dead and this man is to blame. He's here to find some guy and you just happened to know him? It's too easy. I don't know whether I should be fighting him or you, Nishiyama!"

In the middle of his words, she sensed something amiss. Neither Taro nor Rintaro had moved, however, so she ignored the feeling.

"It is, isn't it?" Taro said loudly, the anger in his voice transparent. "I came to the Tendou School looking for Ryouga, but instead I find someone who uses the master's moves and claims to know him."

"Shut up!" Kimiko yelled, interrupting Taro. She moved to charge past Rintaro and attack, her secret almost exposed, but Rintaro's hands stopped her. He grabbed her by the right shoulder and left hip. He held her with a surprising amount of leverage.

"No, I want to hear what he has to say." Rintaro's words stunned her. He had turned against her again. This time, he would expose her identity.

Taro stood closer now, his eyes shining in the darkness.

"Rintaro Saotome, no?" the viper of a man asked of the boy who held Kimiko. Rintaro did not immediately respond, but Taro seemed to not need a verbal answer. "I'll take your silence for yes."

"So you and Nishiyama know each other?" Rintaro offered.

Kimiko opened her mouth, but felt the hand on her shoulder reach and cover her mouth. She'd had about enough of him when she felt his left hand strike a pressure point on her side that sent her sprawling to the floor. She knew the technique as it had been used on her by Dr. Tofu before a while back. Her legs felt like jelly and would feel like that for the next twenty minutes.

She did not fall, as Rintaro grabbed her by the shoulders and gently set her on her knees.

"What the hell, Rintaro?" she demanded, twisting her torso to hit his thigh with as much force as she could muster. He took a step back after that.

"Be quiet for now," he whispered to her.

She silently fumed at his words. Not only did he completely take her out of the fight, but _**he**_ now it seemed as though he might blow her identity, and possibly even her brother's, if they compared their notes enough.

"You were saying?" Rintaro asked of the villain.

"You can say that we are somewhat of rivals, he and I," Taro said. He looked down at Kimiko with such violence in his expressions. "A long time I have hunted for the master. Our ways have crossed many times before."

"You say 'he' referring to whom?" Rintaro asked, the wonder in his voice overtaking his anger.

Her heart beat so loudly in her chest that Kimiko was sure that they both could hear it pounding away madly as if accompanied by a symphony, her heart striking the beat in a rhythmic manner.

"You're an idiot for listening to him, Rintaro," she began, glaring at the boy. "He's nothing but a bitter asshole who wants nothing but revenge and will beat or kill anyone in his way."

"But I want to understand his reasons," Rintaro replied. His words would have scalded her if they were moistened. "You, on the other hand, seem to be the cuckoo in my nest. I knew you were bad news since I first laid eyes on you, bringing all the pain with you, stirring up bees from their hive."

Taro laughed again.

"What are you laughing at?" Rintaro demanded, his eyes once again boring into the villain.

"You, dear Saotome," Taro replied. "You disabled the only chance you have of beating me."

"What?" Rintaro asked, his voice pitched. "Tell me who you are talking about. There have been too many lies around here."

Taro laughed, his eyes wild. "Master Happosai, the Grand Master of the Anything-Goes Style. Somehow this whelp of a girl got one of the greatest martial artists of this era to train her. He always was fond of pretty young things, so I guess it makes sense."

"Shut up, Pantyhose-guy!" she yelled at the man in the green vest. "Happosai is twice the man you will ever be. He should have drowned you at Jusenkyo instead, and made the Pool of the Drowned Emo."

She felt Rintaro's questioning stare, even as Taro's malevolent aura began to grow.

"Who are you really?" Rintaro asked of her, but she couldn't hear him properly with her anger building.

"Shut up, you disgrace to the Saotome name," Kimiko said, the only thing she would answer to him. Twice now he had gone out of his way to wrong her. _Not coming to our help when Jotaro attacked us, I can forgive. But disabl__ing me in front of one of the most dangerous monsters to ever walk these streets? Unforgivable._

"He poses a good question, _Nishiyama-san,_" Taro asked. "You know far too much to be some random stranger that the master trained. _Who the hell are you?!_"

_Did I __overplay my hand?_ she thought as she focused on her legs. Dr. Tofu had never taught her the counter-pressure point to reverse the temporary paralysis, but apparently had taught the imbalanced Rintaro the move.

"No," Taro said a moment later after not getting a response, his hand going to cup his jaw. "You can't be." Both teens looked over to the man, who laughed at them again. "It makes sense, if you ignore the fact that twenty years have passed."

"What?" Rintaro asked, his curiosity overwhelming whatever bit of sense he should have had. Kimiko eyed her brother with contempt.

"Saotome-san, I'd like to introduce you to a member of your very own family..."

* * *

More to come soon! Look forward to it.


	13. Part Three: Sayonara (6 of 8)

**Misery Loves Company**  
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Part Three: Sayonara  
(6 of 8)

Taro towered before them, his eyes focused on the pair. He held the answer on his lips with a wicked grin.

"Ranma Saotome."

Hearing the name spoke aloud chilled Rintaro deeply, straight down to the bone. It was the shadow from which he could never escape. His parents had never told him of another sibling, but not everyone was as tight-lipped about the secret as they. Shampoo had told the boy how much he looked like his older brother. It had been the first time someone had even mentioned the name. Only after begging for a long time did she tell him more than that, leading to the discovery of someone whose absence made everything bad in his life make sense.

"Ridiculous," Rintaro shouted back, his anger boiling up again. He wanted to smash the fiend before he could say another word. "I should have known you'd just lie to me."

"You didn't know him like I did," the man said in all seriousness, his face tight with anger after Rintaro's rebuff.

"Ranma would be like thirty now. She looks like she's fourteen, you baka!" Rintaro said, putting his hands on Kimiko's shoulders to help stabilize her sitting posture. She had been trying to regain use of her legs during their exchange, but the effect of the technique would last a bit longer. He had only used it a couple times, and neither time after had he stuck around to see how long it would last.

"So sure, are you? I'll admit, I was sure she was his kid, or your sister, but the little bitch sounds_ just like him_ and knows things. She even used his words."

"Well, even if you were right about her gender, which you're obviously not," Rintaro started, but never finished.

"Shut up, boy," the man growled. "Have you never heard of Jusenkyo? Have you never seen the remarkable change of the body that the people in your family undergo with water?"

"I already know about Ranma's curse," he told the man, shaking his head. Things were beginning to fall into place. Those overheard conversations began to click. She wasn't Ranma at all, but his daughter, like Taro first thought. Either that or she somehow found a Japanese version of the fountain of youth. "So do the Tendous. So does everyone. Someone probably already splashed her to make sure."

"You're wrong," Taro exclaimed, shaking his head. His voice grew in volume as he continued. "She _has_ to be Ranma. It explains everything. EVERYTHING!"

The idea was preposterous, considering how much time she had spent with the Tendous. They would have certainly noticed something. Kasumi even helped the girl before she took a shower. However, he could not help shaking the feeling that this man Taro spoke the truth. Kimiko had not spoken in her defense, but to her credit, he did tell her to be quiet.

"What do you have to say about this, Kimiko?" Rintaro asked in her ear. "Are you Ranma?"

"If I was, I would have just beat Taro up. This wouldn't have even been an issue."

Rintaro put his hands on her shoulders again. He knew that she had not regained use of her legs and was buying time until she could run again. He did not understand how he knew it, but the sense of her intentions just rushed through him.

"Listen," he said quietly, rubbing her shoulders gently "I'm not saying you're him-"

"Splash me with hot water later," she interrupted, tilting her head back to look up at him.

"If we survive this guy, that is," he replied. "I didn't realize he was a complete psycho before I disabled you."

"If he doesn't kill you, I might," she said after a second.

Taro stomped his foot down on the bridge, causing the suspension beams to shake ever so slightly. "What are you talking about over there, moron? Did you confirm it? She's the real deal, right? Just look at her! His eyes, his stupid, ugly face, the whole nine yards."

Suddenly, the bell on the bridge rang so loudly, that he nearly jumped back. The bell only rang when the bridge controller intended to lift the middle of the bridge up to allow ships to pass underneath. He took a quick glance around and realized that they were on a section that would be lifted. The bridge lit up like a festival, emergency lights spinning yellow light around them.

"Don't even think about moving," the man warned, taking another step closer. Less than six feet remained between them now. "I want to know the truth, Fem-boy."

Rintaro felt Kimiko tense after hearing the slur used against her. Whatever the truth of the matter was, these two had history. No matter how unlikely, the teen under him and the thirty to forty-year-old-man knew each other, or Kimiko seemed to at least know of him. Sliding his hands down beneath the short sleeves of her blouse and felt the skin on arms, feeling the quickness of her heartbeat through her pulse.

Before Rintaro heard the sound of echoed footsteps running across the metal bridge, he heard Kimiko take in a sharp breath. Before he could ask her anything, she whispered Kenichi's name in a sigh. Rintaro quickly stood and stepped in between Kimiko and his Soun's attacker.

"I don't plan on running," Rintaro told the man, subtly drawing the shuriken he collected from the dojo before leaving. He drew into a stance, hiding his right hand behind his hip, where the three shuriken remained in between his fingers. The one pressed between his forefinger and middle finger felt slimy. He imagined it had found a target earlier, still coated in that person's blood.

Taro looked as though he meant to reply, but the echo of footsteps along the metal bridge signaled Kenichi's arrival so obviously that Rintaro wanted to hit the idiot. If he had used even the smallest amount of caution, he might have caught the stranger by surprise.

Rintaro drew lower, poised, ready for this moment, expecting the slight hesitation on Taro's part. That would be his opening.

"Kimiko!" Kenichi shouted, not slowing his charge towards them.

Rintaro's eyes widened. He hoped that Kenichi did not plan to run straight through to the girl. If he missed Taro, he would likely hit Kenichi with his throwing stars.

The moment arrived. Taro turned his head and shifted his feet away from Rintaro, his attention for that brief second focused on the new arrival. It was all Rintaro needed.

One moment, Taro moved in anticipation of Kenichi and the next, three shuriken left Rintaro's fingertips. He kept his movements so slight that no one but a trained martial artist would have noticed it. The first struck Taro's right shoulder, just missing the soft spot between his collar bone and his neck. The second caught him directly behind his right armpit. The third would have struck him in the ribs, but it struck his hand instead.

All of this took place in an instant, but Rintaro clearly saw everything, taking notice of the damage before blood splattered out of his target. His timing had been perfect, leaving Taro open for Kenichi's rush and Rintaro's follow up attack.

Considering Kenichi's cautious nature, he surprised Rintaro by charging into the battle without even hesitating, plowing directly towards Taro, who had been caught off guard by the shuriken strike in the dark and would likely not be able to defend against it. Rintaro wasted no time, leapfrogging over Kimiko, and then moving in to finish off Taro before he could recover in time from Kenichi's bull rush.

The shuriken attack did not stun Taro as much as Rintaro had wanted; he drew his arms back and sunk into a defensive stance. The two boys moved towards him quickly, and as Rintaro had planned, they both struck at their opponent at the same time. Kenichi leaped like an Olympic long-jumper and came crushing forward with a massive jump kick. Rintaro, on the other hand, moved in low, striking forward with a kick toward the side of the man's knee.

Had they struck him, he would have been crippled and defeated. However, the man did something impossible. He contorted, sliding just underneath Kenichi's jump kick, while blocking Rintaro's low kick with his right hand. As Rintaro maneuvered to continue his attack, the man then pushed Kenichi directly into him. One moment, Rintaro had considered themselves with the advantage, and the next , he quickly tumbled head-over-heels backwards. He had no chance to see how Kenichi had fared in the fight, his senses spinning even as he stopped rolling.

The counter-throw only sent him tumbling, and he was caught by the small hands of Kimiko, who after stopping him, spun him around and pushed him upright.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

He immediately damned his decision to use Dr. Tofu's leg-disabling pressure point strike against her. His perception of the events had tagged her as a conspirator originally, and not as a victim, which he suddenly realized was most likely the case. The three of them would be able to take Taro. Rintaro realized he was greatly outclassed by this monster.

He nodded at her.

"Go help Kenichi then, baka!" she hissed at him, pointing forward.

Kenichi was face down against the bridge with Taro standing over him. The older man was picking shuriken out of his body, one by one, dropping them to the ground.

"Nice try, boys," Taro told them, brushing his wounds like they were just paper cuts. "But now instead of beating you, I'm actually going to kill you."

Rintaro got to his knees and pushed up. He wasted no more time in coming to help Kenichi, who rolled away to get up. The man attacked the boy, who also was just recovering from the tumble. He kicked at Kenichi as the Tendou tried to stand. His vicious assault only lasted a few seconds, as Rintaro quickly arrived to the boy's aid.

Rintaro attacked with a series of quick punches that Taro blocked, but the move worked as Kenichi managed to roll away from his attacker. Taro replied with a quick kick that would have crushed Rintaro's shin, but he foresaw the move and lifted the target leg and brought it down on Taro's foot.

The counter backfired when a chop to his forward shoulder sent a jolt of pain through his body. He gritted his teeth, absorbing it and attacking with a punch of his own. Taro blocked that as well, catching his wrist. Rintaro broke the intended throw by breaking his wrist lock at the man's fingertips, the weakest point of his hold, bringing it back ever so slightly, and then chopping his wrist. This strike came down soundly, wrenching a grimace from the man.

However, Rintaro did not match Taro's sheer strength and was quickly knocked back by a violent shove. Rintaro managed to recover quickly and move in to attack, but he was beginning to feel as though he was attacking a cactus. Hitting him didn't matter if you ended up full of thorns. So far, Rintaro had suffered relatively few hits, but the man was now focused on him.

Taro looked no worse for wear, as Kenichi rejoined the fight. The two faced down the much older and more experienced fighter. Rintaro wished he knew more about this strange man, but his moves were far from ordinary. He fought like a completely original fighter, and seemed to be holding back something. Rintaro did not want to find that particular part out before he managed to beat this guy into a bloody pulp. Taro was hard enough as he was now.

The bells that he had heard earlier began again, and this time Rintaro realized they were the final warning. The bridge would commence opening very near where they fought.

"Uh, should we take this somewhere else?" Kenichi asked nervously, looking down at the bridge. "The bridge controller can't—"

The stranger cut Kenichi off before he could finish. "I don't think so."

"But—" Kenichi started.

"Let's end this, Kenichi," Rintaro interrupted, suddenly realizing how they could create a nice long delay that would give them a better place to fight. When he'd chosen the bridge for the ambush, he had not considered that his opponent would be far superior to him.

"What?" Kenichi asked, but would not receive a response verbally.

Taro delayed not a second more, attacking Kenichi. Rintaro tried to move in and attack the man's back, but Kenichi surprised the both of them.

"Bakusai Tenketsu!"

Metal did not react the same as stone or earth did to the remarkable move. Instead of completely shattering, leaving monstrous ruins behind, it snapped one of the thick suspension cords that held the bridge together. The one would not hurt the bridge much, as it used just under a hundred of them to hold it up, but the wire was not meant to crash the bridge.

It caught the villain directly in the right arm and then ricocheted off and struck him in the face. The blow sent him falling backward with a cry of pain. His voice echoed in a roar.

Rintaro did not let up his attack as Taro recovered from the devastating attack. Using the distraction, he delivered a head butt to the center of Taro's back, causing the man to lose his balance and tumble forward.

Just as Kenichi moved in to continue the beating, the siren came on announcing the beginning of the bridge's ascension, distracting the boy. The lifting bridge did not catch Rintaro off guard, but he had not realized exactly at which point the bridge would open. He turned his head back as his feet began to slide forward as the squealing of the bridge stung his ears. It lay just behind him.

The movement of the bridge gave Taro enough time to move. He regained his poise and barreled into Rintaro, who managed to strike the man multiple times across the chest and stomach. However, Taro ignored the attacks and pushed him aside with a stiff arm. Rintaro watched him take a few more steps away when Kenichi yelled.

"He's going for Kimiko!" Kenichi shouted at Rintaro against the loud sound of shifting gears.

Rintaro redirected his momentum and chased Taro, but did not pick up speed quickly enough, as Taro attempted to pick up the disabled redhead.

"No!" Rintaro heard Kenichi yell from behind him. He felt Kenichi's frustration as he saw the villain scoop up the girl, despite her attempts to resist him.

The exact moment he felt the bascules lift far enough to separate the span into two pieces, causing them to be almost uphill, Rintaro was right behind the kidnapper, and his foot narrowly missed landing in the void. He used the edge of the bridge as leverage to push off against, and jumped across the short gap to the other end.

He might have caught up to his enemy, but a bright flash of light startled him almost as much as the feeling of being punched in the chest and head all at once. As if he had walked into a brick wall that fought back, Rintaro lost his momentum and fell backwards towards the gap.

A blue wave of chi rippled over him as he caught a glance of Taro flying back as if hit by a bus. The brilliant energy shook Rintaro again, causing him to get knocked over the edge of the bridge. The sudden pull of gravity took Rintaro as he struggled to regain control over his momentum. He threw his arms out in a desperate attempt to grab the edge of the bridge, but couldn't as the tumble had left him dazed in his mid-air somersault. As he fell, he closed his eyes, concentrating his entire existence into one move. He twisted his body completely around and grabbed onto the only object left in his range.

Regaining his senses, Rintaro found himself dangling off the leg of the man he had hoped to knock off the bridge. He felt his ascent as the insanely strong man pulled both of them up. Looking up, Rintaro saw this and self-sacrificially directed his weight down in a solid tug. He heard a grunt as the man lost his momentum and fell back down to the length of his arms.

"Stupid boy!" he heard from above him right before the man kicked out his legs.

Rintaro resisted the attempt of being knocked off by reaching up and grabbing the man's belt. He then strongly wrapped his knees around the man's ankle for support and looked up. He could see the man losing his grip, his fingers slipping off the edge of the bridge of which he'd barely had a hold in the first place.

It all came down to one movement. Rintaro yanked once more, this time using his strength to rebound off the man and make a grab at the edge of the bridge himself. In that instant he felt exhilaration as Taro lost his grip and fell, and then the sudden redirection of his inertia as his hands came fractionally within the top of the bridge's edge. Instead, his hands uselessly slapped the side of the bridge and slid off.

His heart skipped a beat as he began to fall. He looked up in futile effort to will himself up but only watched as the bridge started to move away from his grasp. He could only gasp when icy cold fingers reached around his extended right wrist. He swung back and forth a moment at the sudden loss of movement.

As he reciprocated by grabbing the wrist of his savior, he looked up to see her face. Kimiko grimaced down at him, as he noticed her other arm extended back, likely holding onto something as well. Without the counter-force of her legs to hold him out of the water, she could only use her arms.

"Hold on," she said with a strained look in her eyes. Her hand suddenly began to glow blue, just like the burst of chi energy he had been buffeted by earlier. He suddenly felt the burst of strength that pulled him up. She groaned and lifted him up the bridge.

Just as he reached the edge himself, he grabbed it with his other hand. With Kimiko's help, he easily pulled himself back onto the raised section of the bridge, which was difficult to stand on. Somehow, the girl had pulled herself to the top and grabbed him in time. They recovered only to realize the bridge's raising had reached a critical point, and he fell again, this time tumbling down the bridge instead of falling from it.

He took hold of his inertia and moved into a controlled roll, softly landing on his back. He looked up only a brief second before he realized Kimiko could not control her roll and was plummeting at him. He considered for a split second whether he should move, but instead braced himself and attempted to catch her. The effort was only slightly better than being crushed while unaware. The only thing he could do before her landing was release his breath so as to not have it knocked out of him.

After a ragged breath, Rintaro coughed and then moaned. Kimiko lay face down on top of him, her cheek slapping against his chest. All he could see of her was her thick mane of red hair splashed all over him. Even after all of the day's exertion, it still smelled of soap.

"Are you okay?" he asked of her, putting one hand on her back.

It took a moment for her to respond. She lifted her head and looked up at him, and then nodded.

"Do you really know who that guy is?" Rintaro asked, not ready to move yet. He felt dizzy as if he had been spinning around in circles for a few seconds. He trained his eyes on hers. Her blue eyes sparkled under the lamp post on the bridge.

"Yeah, he's a mean old bastard," she whispered to him. She tried to push herself off him, but did not seem to have much energy left after whatever she had done to both defeat Taro and pull him up. Though she had seemed to weigh a lot when she had fallen, he felt comfortable with her lying on top of him now. Somehow, that disturbed him.

"He was a backstabbing jerk before, but I didn't think he'd be this evil," she elaborated as he stared at the top of her head. "He seems to just be out to kill someone, now. Before he just wanted Happosai to change the name he gave him at his birth. He refused to just do it at a court. It was the only point of honor he had."

Her answer mystified him. She could not be more than sixteen, and yet she spoke as if she had known him for years. It made about as much sense as her being a Jusenkyo victim. She obviously did not change in cold water, as he had seen her before and after a bath in the Tendou's koi pond. His Aunt Kasumi would have noticed something if she had changed in the hot water of the shower as well. It left him clueless.

"So you really do know Happosai then?" Rintaro asked.

"Sit me up against the bridge, and I'll answer that," she told him.

After pushing her off him, Rintaro took her by the shoulders and sat her against the bridge as she had asked.

"I did train with Happosai," Kimiko said, and then inhaled deeply. After she exhaled, she continued. "The only person I've worked with in the last year at all is my brother, though. I haven't seen that perverted old man in a long time."

She held her head in her hands, as if she was trying to remember something.

"What?" he asked, not quite sure if she was purposefully answering his questions only to leave him with a dozen more or not. However, he decided not to press the issue, as the whole situation was more or less his fault at this point.

"Nothing, I just have a lot of weird amnesia since my fall," she said, her voice pained. "Sometimes I remember things clear as day, and other times it's like I'm looking through grainy film, trying to interpret what's going on."

"You are pretty concussion prone," Rintaro told her, as he stood up, and then dusted himself off.

"Just pick me up and let's go before that old freak recovers and catches up to us," she told him, holding her arms up like a toddler waiting to be picked up by a parent.

Rintaro raised an eyebrow at her. "He just fell off the bridge."

"You don't know him like I do. He'll be back, and he'll be stronger."

_Falling off bridges makes him stronger? __Rintaro wondered, closing his eyes at the thought._

"Well?" she asked, waiting for him to lift her.

"Sorry, I got you," Rintaro replied, kneeling down in front of her, facing away. The young man then pushed his arms behind his back, and propped her up against him by grabbing underneath her thighs and lifting her up piggy back."It should wear off soon. I didn't realize it would last this long. Until then, grab onto my shoulders."

Kimiko loosely wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he carried her away from the bridge.

"Well, we gotta get out of here," she said.

"Shouldn't we wait for Kenichi?" he asked, looking back to the bridge, which had lifted up diagonally. "I mean, he's probably going to be on the other side waiting for us."

Kimiko shook her head. "He doesn't want Kenichi."

Rintaro nodded. "I guess you're right. Shall we go?"

"Let's," she agreed.

He then sprinted towards Furinkan High School.

* * *

The phone rang at the Tendou house, but no one immediately answered it. The night had been a scare for the family. Ryouga had been the first to arrive home to find his daughter and father-in-law. Apparently, she had carried him into the house after someone had beaten him badly. The ambulance had arrived later, with police who had a million questions for his daughter.

Ryouga only had one question: who did he need to kill? Whoever had done this to one of his family members would pay dearly. After it was clear he knew nothing, the police had given him space. So when the phone rang, only he was available to answer it.

He let it ring for a moment, still lost in thought about who would hurt his family. When he had arrived at the Saotome's home with Genma, he found it trashed, and Nodoka injured. Genma had called the police and stayed with his wife, while Ryouga received the attacker's message and rushed home.

Picking up the receiver, he answered the phone, annoyed. "Hello?"

"Dad?!" he heard on the other side of the line. It was Kenichi's voice.

"Nichi-chan?" Ryouga asked, a bit surprised. "Where are you? Mayako said you chased the man who did this to Soun."

"Yes," his son replied. "We chased him to the old boat bridge near Furinkan. But the bridge lifted and we got separated. I'm not sure where Rintaro and Kimiko are."

The name of the girl visiting the Tendou family was not unfamiliar to Ryouga. She was all Genma had talked about on their trip to his house. Ryouga did not know exactly who she was, but it seemed obvious to Genma that she bore some resemblance to Ranma. However, he had not been sure. Ryouga knew that her appearance and the appearance of Ranma back in Nerima was no coincidence.

"Is that man still there?"

"I don't know," Kenichi replied. "But we need help badly."

That was all Ryouga needed to hear. "I'll be there shortly. Stay where you are. Hide if you must."

Ryouga told his daughter of his plan and left her to deal with the police and her mother, who would return home shortly. He then left the house and ran as fast as he could. Not even his bad direction sense would get in the way this time. His mind was finally clear.

It took him barely five minutes to get there at full speed. He arrived at the bridge, where Kenichi appeared from a phone booth.

"Are you alright?" Ryouga asked as ran up to his son. "Did he hurt you?"

Kenichi shook his head, but the blood splatters in his white work shirt were visible even under the dim lamplight in the night. Ryouga pulled his son to him and examined him. He noticed several cuts in his skin, some a bit deep, but none seemed particularly bad.

"Did you find Rintaro and the girl?" He looked around but saw them nowhere.

Before Kenichi could reply, the bridge lit up with yellow lights and began to make noises. It obviously was lowering once more. He watched it for a moment.

"We were separated. The bridge lifted when we were fighting that guy. I don't know what happened to them."

Ryouga nodded. He would search the bridge and the nearby area, but his primary concern now was for his son and his father-in-law.

* * *

Taro had watched from the shadows as Ryouga arrived to rescue his son. He could not know how close he had been to losing a child. If not for his approach, Taro would have used him to bait Ranma back to fight. However, as it stood, he would need to retreat. He did not want anything to do with Ryouga. He obviously had nothing to do with this plot any longer. It was all Ranma's doing. Both Ranma and Happosai had left the country somehow. He had to find them.

So he waited, watched and followed.

* * *

Riding piggyback on her biological brother, she felt torn by her fate never to have known him, or to have guided him to become a better man. Being in Nerima and finding more family than she knew what to do with was surreal. This was another life, a dream, a nightmare, anything that was not twenty years in her future. She hated feeling sorry for herself, but her world had tumbled on its head and now she was left with reversed gravity.

Rintaro carried her away from the bridge. He had disabled her as Dr. Tofu had when he had first arrived in Nerima, to teach him to rely on others. Her brother had used it to keep her talking. This was the second underhanded thing he had done to her. Half of her felt like smacking him, and the other half wanted to apologize for not being there for him.

As they left the bridge, she tried to peer as best as she could despite sitting piggy back, looking for any sign of the monster Taro would turn into. She had hoped to avoid water, but had instead sent him falling into it. He would be much stronger than the two of them now, and they needed to move. Whether or not that fall had hurt him, he would be back.

"Not to sound ungrateful for the present on the bridge, but could you hurry it up so he doesn't have a chance to follow us?" She added a thick lair of cynicism for motivation. It had always worked with Akane.

He responded by picking up speed. She turned her head and watched him soar down the sidewalk. He ducked down an alley as soon as they reached the houses and ran for another block before slowing.

"See anything?" he asked, not taking his eyes from the road.

"No," she replied, but her attention was divided. While he ran, she fell deeper and deeper. Staring at the boy who looked like she used to had stirred up something deep inside of herself that she had not experienced since waking up from the coma. A confusing wave of extreme familiarity and warmth had filled her as they had talked. It was as if she had known him all of her life, and they had just been reunited after a long absence. She tried to think of it as just a familiarity with her old body, but it was increasingly becoming clear that wasn't the case.

Riding on his back was beginning to feel so familiar, she couldn't stand it. It felt like she had done this a thousand times as a child, but Genma had never comforted young Ranma. The whole point of getting stronger was to do it on your own, to become an independent force of nature.

She closed her eyes and instinctively snuggled her faced into the back of his neck.

"Hold on tight, love!" The words echoed in her mind, so faint it was almost imagined. The voice sounded as familiar as rain, but she couldn't remember who had spoken the words.

"I think I've lost him sufficiently," Rintaro told her. Kimiko felt his breath against her face as he turned to her, heavy with exertion. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Fine, let's just hide in the school," she told him as she looked up to see where they were.

He did as she asked without further protest. Shadows and light crossed his face once more as they neared her old high school.

"I don't believe what that man said," he told her after a moment. "But your story doesn't add up, Nishiyama-san. You know a lot about us even though you've only been in Japan like a week."

She didn't respond, not wanting to lie or tell him her foggy truths. Even when she told the truth at this point, it felt like lying to someone.

"Just call me Kimiko," she said instead.

He carried her for a few more minutes until they reached the gates of the school.

"Now what? It's locked," he said with a shake of his head.

She turned her head and looked over her own shoulder to see the gate closed. "Come on, Rintaro, just jump it."

He muttered something that sounded more like a grumble, and then approached the gate. He took a few steps back and then burst into action. She felt light as he jumped to the top of the gate. Now she knew how Akane must have felt all the times she'd ran with the girl on her back.

Their airtime lasted a lot longer than the vibration of the gate, but not longer than the descent. Her heart beat rapidly as she held onto his shoulders tightly. The entire experience of being carried around made her feel uneasy in that she could not control the movements she was usually capable of making herself.

Rintaro landed firmly, and then began to walk towards the deserted building.

"There should be a phone in an office somewhere," she told him, adjusting her grip around his shoulders.

"There's one in the gym teacher's office," Rintaro offered, beginning his walk around to the other side of the school.

"Go there often?"

"I'm the P.E. teacher's assistant. I supervise the school athletes' training. There's a window in there without a lock that we can use. It will give us access to the pool and the phone."

"Case the place much?" she asked, only half-joking.

"Whatever," Rintaro replied, walking across the field. "It's not like anyone but kids could fit."

_If only kids can fit through, how are we supposed to get through? _she wondered, and then realized his implication. "Wait, are you calling me a kid?"

"Come on," he said, as he passed the west opening of the school. "I might escape being carded once in a while, but if your bust was smaller, you could pass for thirteen."

His remarks really stung. If she shared anything with from-birth women, Kimiko hated it when people misjudged her real age. She considered herself nineteen or twenty, even if her body said jailbait, her identity said fifteen, and Ranma's birth certificate said thirty-six.

"Don't make faces," he said, stopping at the side of the gym where the pool must have been located from the outside. "If I climb up there, can you climb over me and through the window? Just hang on and I'll catch you once I get through."

She grumbled, which he must have taken for a yes, because he knelt and set her down, turning his back to her.

"The pool's indoor, huh?" she asked. Last time she had fallen into that stupid thing, it had been outside.

"When Principal Kuno took over the school from his father, he donated a lot of money to the school for repairs and new construction. Making the pool Olympic regulation increased its value for training and prestige."

He climbed up a few feet to where a small, but wide, ventilation window was located along the top of the pool next to its eaves, and then attempted to pull it open. "Damn, I can't get enough leverage to open it." He dropped down and looked at her. "How's your nails?"

"Why?" Kimiko asked suspiciously, hiding her hands behind her back.

"I cut mine too short. If you can wedge your nails under it, it might be enough to open the window."

_Goodbye nails, I hardly knew ye,_ she thought, wishing them farewell, and then nodded to him.

"Alright, I need you to sit on my shoulders so I can hoist you up to the window."

"Sitting is relative when you have no leg control," Kimiko told the young man, crossing her arms.

"I'll just lift you," he said, walking around to her back.

When he reached his hands under her arms, she panicked. "Hey, wait!"

"What?" he said withdrawing.

She breathed in, steeling herself for embarrassing and awkward touching. "Alright, go."

Rintaro chuckled and repeated his previous action, but this time lifted her straight up. Her legs fell to either side of his head as he rested her on the back of his neck.

"Not so bad, right?" he said, as he released her.

"Whoa!" She suddenly started to fall back, losing her balance without being able to hold on with her thighs. He quickly grabbed her sides and lower back to keep her from falling.

"Easy there," he told her, holding her steady for a moment.

The temperature of her face rose a few degrees as she leaned forward, securing herself by resting her abdomen against the back of his head, and holding onto his shoulders.

"Alright, now I'm going to climb up and get you in range of the window."

She reached around his neck and used her elbows for leverage to keep herself having to hold onto his neck. She felt her lower body dangle against his back as he stood. Color rose to her cheeks at so much body contact with her brother. It felt indecent.

"Okay, hold on," he said as he lifted their bodies above the ground. He then climbed up the wall like a spider, his hands straining with their combined weight. His vertical movement put her within range of the window. She dug the fingers of both of her hands under the window, trying to build up enough pressure to open it.

_One, two, three!_ She pushed up gently so as to not break her nails, but strong enough to push it open a few centimeters. "Got it!"

"Alright, just push it open the rest of the way, then," he told her.

She slid her fingers in the small gap and pushed it open the rest of the way. The pool shone in the moonlight, but the rest of the room was only visible by the shimmering reflection off the pool.

"It's open," she told him, placing her hands back on her shoulder to sit more upright. "What now?"

"Grab onto the window seal and pull yourself in," he ordered, pulling himself up so her hands were close to it again.

She grabbed onto the ledge and began to lift herself up, but her legs were dead weight, and she couldn't get over the back of his head. Without the leverage of her legs, she couldn't quite pull the maneuver off, causing her to groan in disappointment.

"I got you," Rintaro whispered, right before he embarrassingly pushed against her buttocks. She pulled as hard as she could to get her arms and upper body through. His boost helped and he enabled her to get in most of the way where he stopped pushing. She squeezed through far enough to get her upper torso through.

"Okay, this is where you just keep yourself from falling. These windows are high up and are tiny, but they're wide. I'm going to maneuver you around so you can grab onto the window seal. Afterward I'll slip through and catch you."

She groaned again as he grabbed her thigh and her arm and manhandled her parallel to the window. She felt like an action figure. However, she did as he said and positioned herself, ready to fall.

"Ready?" he asked, his face closer to hers where she rested her chin against the window seal, her legs dangling on either side of the window.

"Yes," she said bitterly. "Just push my leg through."

This time he pushed her up by the left hip and left thigh, pushing her right side up and over the window, where her leg swung down into the building. She felt her balance shift as he pushed the other leg through, and she began to fall, gravity pulling her down. Her hands caught the window seal in time to keep herself from landing on the ground unceremoniously.

Rintaro wasted no time in squeezing himself through the window and falling inward, where he tucked and rolled, until he was standing on his feet.

She then felt his fingertips brush her ankle, so she let go. He caught her in mid-air and managed maneuver her body to cradle her again.

"I'm sorry, by the way," he told her after he caught her. The light in the pool reflected wavy blue shadows against his face that gave him an eerie look. He later added, "About the whole pressure point thing."

"You keep saying that, but do you mean it?" she asked, glaring at him. "You treat me like I'm an enemy, but I'm not. What'd I ever do to you?"

"Hey, you show up, my teacher gets smashed, and you seem to know the guy who did the smashing. I'm not the most trusting person in the world, either."

"I couldn't tell," she shot back. "You were being a jerk to me before that, too, though."

He didn't respond to her accusation, and carried her around the pool to the manager's office at the far end. A night light in the office illuminated enough of their path that she could see that he was headed in that direction. He carried her past it into the darkened boy's locker room, through into the back door of the manager's office.

He broke the silence after stopping next to the door. "The lock on this side is just one of those basic locks you can poke at a few times and unlock." He then sat her down on the bench in front of a locker nearest to the door. She held herself up with her arms.

Just as he said, he opened the door after a minute of jimmying the lock.

"Nice," she said as he walked back up to her.

"Hardly a skill, using a toothpick to unlock a door this simple," he replied as he scooped her up.

The office was small, had a desk with a chair, two filing cabinets and a couch on the far end. The room had windows facing the pool. He then carried her into the office and set her on swim team manager's chair. He took a seat on the couch at the far end of the office as she reached for the telephone.

"Who you plan to call?"

"My brother," she said, which sounded strange to her ears. She had referred to Kiyoshi as her brother for a while now, but with her actual brother in the room, it felt wrong. Everything seemed to feel that way these days.

"Your brother is that guy who took over the Nishiyama fortune, right?"

The question just sounded strange. "Yeah, you know of it?"

Rintaro nodded. "His passing was a bit of a story, with Nishiyama Nobukazu being a former Nerima local and a multi-millionaire."

She stopped talking and lifted the receiver, and then dialed the number of Kiyoshi's cell phone. She would have dialed the room's number, but she had forgotten it.

* * *

"Hey Kiyoshi," Kimiko said into the phone as she started talking to her brother. Rintaro could not understand whatever her brother said on the other side of the line, but he could hear the tone of the voice. He sounded mad, or scared, or both.

"No, I'm okay," she replied into the phone. "No, just bruised. I'll be fine. Not like last time."

Rintaro wondered if she meant his exhausting match with Kimiko the time before. He doubted it, as they really had not hurt each other much.

"Well, to be honest, I got in another fight before this one," she said. "Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't exactly pick either of these."

The other party sounded angry for sure this time. He spoke for another ten seconds.

"No, I said, I'm just bruised. Give me a break. I'll be as good as new in an hour."

She paused and looked at Rintaro. The pool reflected off her face and he suddenly knew why she looked like family. She could have easily posed in his mother's place for all her photos as a teenager. He marveled at their likeness.

"No, I left that at the Tendou's," she said after her brother finished talking, and then engaged in a quick succession of question answering. "I'm on a phone in the manager's office of Furinkan High. Yes. Uh-huh. Hey, I'm not a kid anymore. Yeah, but I can take care of myself just fine. You don't have to mention that anymore—I get it. Yeah, I know the guy. It was Taro. Yeah, he's still on that revenge trip, but now I think he's completely lost it. You need confront him. I don't think it'll stop unless you do."

She paused for a while after that, apparently receiving a lecture. It sounded more like her father than her brother, but he knew some older brothers to be that, especially with younger sisters.

"You don't give me enough credit. I didn't say anything." She paused for a moment, listening and nodding. "No, not really. Rintaro. Yeah, him."

Hearing his name mentioned, his ears perked up, but he could not hear anything. Kimiko seemed to be intentionally leaving her answers brief to let her brother do the talking.

"Yeah, he saved me back there. He's good. No, probably better. No, we knocked him into the river near Furinkan. No, please Kiyoshi," she said, this time her voice lifting a bit, almost to a whine. He had never heard her talk like that. It must have been a sibling thing. "Just send a cab, please. It's really better that way. Okay. Okay. I will. I love you, too. Bye. No, bye." She then hung up the phone.

She looked at him for a moment and then looked away, her eyes glistening in the light.

"I need to make a call, too," he said suddenly, realizing that they had not been in contact with the Tendous in a while. She nodded and he did so, lifting up the receiver, dialing in his caller id number and then his house code.

"Hello?" he heard his Aunt Akane greet on the other end. She sounded shaken, her voice rather pitchy.

"Hello, Auntie," he said as sweetly as he could. "It's Rin-chan." He almost grimaced at his own use of her nickname for him.

"Rin-chan!" she shouted on the other end. "I'm going crazy over here! They hospitalized my father and Maya-chan's all beaten up! Who did this?"

"I don't know, but we trashed the guy good," Rintaro told her. "We're all okay, but we lost contact with Kenichi. Is he there now?" He assumed he was not since Kenichi had not informed Akane of what happened.

"No, his father went out to get him though," Akane told him.

That sent a warm feeling through him. Ryouga was one tough bastard. If anything made him feel better about psychos being on the loose, it was that Ryouga could trash any of them.

"Tell him we're okay if he checks in," Rintaro said. "We're at Furinkan."

"Why are you there?" Akane asked.

"We need to make a phone call for help," he said. "This was the closest phone for us."

"Is Kimiko Nishiyama there with you?"

"Yes."

"Is she okay? Mayako said that guy hurt her."

Rintaro looked down at the girl in the chair before him. She was staring at the pool, but had probably just been looking at him. Her eyes looked too focused on the water.

"She's fine."

"That's good," Akane said. He heard another voice talking to Akane. "Mayako says she left all her stuff here."

Keeping his eyes focused on the girl, he repeated what Akane told him. She looked up at him, staring for a moment, and then nodded.

"Can you put her on, Auntie?" he asked politely.

"Of course, honey," she said and then he heard rustling on the other side.

"Rin-chan!" Mayako exclaimed the moment she must have put her lips to the receiver. "I'm so glad you're both okay. I've been so worried!"

He changed his voice with Mayako, covering over the emotion with confidence. "We're just fine, sweetness. I'm sorry I had to leave you out of all the fun."

"It's not your fault," he heard her say; although, he knew she was wrong.

"If your dad calls, just tell him we're at or around Furinkan," he told her calmly. "I think a cab is coming for Kimiko, though, so he might just find me here."

"Yeah, she always takes cabs," Mayako laughed on the other side.

"Anyway, take care of your mom," he said seriously. "Don't let this get to her."

"Easier said than done," Mayako replied. "Well, you should go."

Rintaro nodded, even though it was obviously a fruitless gesture. He felt he should say something special to her, but just could not.

She seemed to understand his silence, responding with a light giggle. "I'll be thinking about you. Take care and come back in one piece. Okay, Rin-chan?"

"Will do, goodbye," he replied warmly.

"Bye," she said, after which he hung up the receiver.

"Mayako's dad?" Kimiko asked the next moment, surprising him. She had been silent the whole time, resting her back against the wall near the phone.

"Yeah, the cavalry is on the way. Between him and your brother, we should be pretty safe now."

She seemed to look perplexed by his answer, but he was beyond understanding her weird responses to things. She seemed to know everything at times, and then would come back and not know something so simple.

"Speaking of being safe now…" Rintaro began, sitting on the couch again.

"Yes?" she asked after he delayed his question.

"Since we now probably have a few minutes to talk, I'd like you to explain a few things to me." She turned her head, probably subconsciously, as she gazed out over the pool. He gave her a moment before asking, "Will you?"

She turned back to face him and did not look pleased. He felt truly bad about disabling her legs now. It had turned out to be the stupidest thing he had done in a while.

"Do I have a choice?" she asked, crossing her arms under her breasts.

"I can't force your tongue to move, or the wind to make the words in your throat."

"Let's get out of here first?" she suggested, pushing herself to her knees. Apparently the effect of his technique had not worn off. "It's already been a while. Why isn't this thing wearing off?"

Rintaro shrugged. He really had only managed to use it with any effect once before, and it had lasted only a few minutes because he had not hit the pressure point fully. In fact, Dr. Tofu had never taught it to him directly, so he'd never got it to work properly.

"Well, I'm not worried," she told him, gesturing for him to stand. "Pick me up and let's get out of here."

"Okay." He followed her suggestion and stood. After a quick stretch, he scooped her up. She put her left arm around his neck and looped her thumb under his collar. "It's a good thing I know the security codes to the pool, or we'd have to go out the way we came in."

He walked through the door that led to the gym and followed it until he walked into the main corridor. The security panel on the wall started flashing as soon as he walked near it. He used his right hand, leaning Kimiko back so it would be free. After disabling the code he walked out.

"Break into the school often?" she asked, a bit of mirth creeping into her voice.

"Not for a while," he replied. "Plus I know the P.E. director." He paused for a moment. "She...likes me."

He walked with her in silence until they reached the entry courtyard.

"Just set me down by that tree," she whispered, pointing at the one near the path that led directly to the school's main gates.

Rintaro obliged. After another few moments, they sat under the tree together. He gauged her condition for the first time. She looked cold, as she only wore a sky blue tank top and blue Capri pants, and completely lacked shoes. Of course, he had taken a random pair of slippers from the dojo before he'd left.

"So you want to know about how I know Taro?" she offered, breaking their silence. He nodded and she continued. "Well, we kind of crossed paths a while back. We were never really enemies or anything."

"Your brother knows him, too," Rintaro threw in.

"Well, yeah," she said. "Martial artists are kind of the big fish in the little pond. We always seem to cross paths. I guess he never settled his score with the old man who named him."

"Explain more," Rintaro said.

Clutching her arms to her chest, Kimiko met his eyes without looking away to let him know she told the truth. "I learned from a lot of different masters in my time. One was this old man who taught me some, but fought me more often. He named Taro, his full name being Pantyhose Taro."

She looked at him as if expecting him to laugh.

"That's it?" Rintaro asked, bewildered. "He's looking for some guy who named him? Why not just change it himself?"

"That's the thing. It was an honor issue. The only person who can change it by the laws of his village is the one who named him. And that's Master Happosai."

"So that's why he's after him," Rintaro said, nodding at her words. "He's looking for a dead guy, then? What the hell?" His thoughts suddenly focused on one fact that he just realized. She knew Master Happosai, but he was supposed to have died years ago, when she could have been no older than Eiji.

"Yeah, that's why I think it best if I left town," she said sadly. "He's just going to look for me now, because he thinks I know where he is. I only led him on to get him away from the Tendous."

Rintaro looked hard into her eyes. It was dark, but the light from the street was enough to see her eyes.

"What?" she asked, rubbing her nose.

"How long ago did you meet the Grandmaster?"

She looked at him curiously, cocking her head slightly to one side and then her eyes opened.

"I heard he died a long time ago, when I was little," Rintaro informed her. "And I'm two or three years older than you, so you must have met him when he was in China."

She did not immediately respond, obviously trying to develop an answer for him. She looked as confused as he felt. "My father taught me the most, but there were a lot of people who influenced me. Happosai is just one. I heard the story about Taro from him. I just figured that Taro would have been over it by now. I guess persistence is the only thing he does better than being an idiot._**"**_

"Kiyoshi knew him from before," she told him, staring at the tree, her eyes avoiding his again. "Taro is a dangerous person, supercharged by Jusenkyo. When he's hit with water, he turns into a giant monster. I don't think we'd survive and encounter with his monstrous side at this point."

Rintaro looked at her bewildered. "Another Jusenkyo victim? What, does he turn into a tiger?"

"A yet carrying an eagle, eating a serpent if you can believe it." There wasn't a trace of laughter in her eyes.

"But yeti aren't even real," Rintaro sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. "That's really hard to believe."

Rintaro pulled back and poked her left thigh.

"Hey," she complained, slapping his finger lightly.

"Can you move them yet?" he asked, withdrawing his hand. "I'm tired of sitting here."

"A little bit," she said, wiggling her toes. "If it wasn't so freaking cold, I'd probably be better already."

"So, that crazy guy thinks you're my dead older brother, Ranma," Rintaro said, fighting a yawn. "Why do you think that is?"

"Looks? Fighting style? He's crazy?" Kimiko said, stretching her legs out for the first time without use of her hands. She began to message just under her hips.

"Let's see, if you were him, you'd be Aunt Akane's age," he said, thinking about how old she was. "Since she's in her mid-thirties, that makes you the oldest high school student, ever."

"Har har," Kimiko fake laughed. "I could pull off twenty-eight at least, right?"

"Divided by two," Rintaro shot back. "If you put on make-up."

"Jeez, why do you keep picking on me when I can't fight back?" the girl said as she glared at him.

"Because you can't fight back," he said, laughing.

"This isn't forever," she said, moving her legs up and down an inch.

"Okay, so how old are you really?" Rintaro asked, his tone and intent completely serious this time.

"Do we go by my passport, or my best guess?"

Rintaro's mouth fell open as he considered her question. "You have to guess?"

The girl shrugged, pushing her legs up at the knee with the help of her hands. "Well, there are some gaps in my memory. I don't remember dates well past a few years."

"Ok, so what does your passport say your birth date is then?" he asked, not quite sure of what to make of her story. _Amnesia? Was my joke a__bout her being concussion__-__prone serious?_

"Uh, August 1993," she said after a moment. "I think."

He coughed out a laugh. "Hell, you _are_ fourteen?!"

"No!" she exclaimed back, placing both of her hands on the dirt to stare at him. "I'm way older. And that's like fourteen and eleven months."

_Holy hell! _he thought, his mind reeling with the information. "Wow, you're just a _little girl_."

"Watch it," she warned him, smacking his shoulder. He recoiled at the strength of her punch. "This _little girl_ can kick your ass. And I'm not little. I told you, it's a best estimate. I know I'm older, though. Years older."

"Keep telling yourself that, shorty," he said with the urge to pat her head, but his shoulder ached pretty fiercely after that tap she'd given him.

The look in her eyes screamed 'Watch out!' as she propped herself on her knees successfully. "I'm going to kick you so hard once I get my legs back."

"You know, I've seen a lot of pictures of Ranma," Rintaro said, trying to redirect the conversation away from her attacking him in the near future.

"I thought the families destroyed all of them?" Kimiko asked, her eyes growing wider. She put a hand to her temple, massaging it with her fingers.

"Nah, Aunt Shampoo has boxes," he told her, remembering going through each picture. His collective family and friends were all accounted for, from ages sixteen to eighteen. "I've seen him in both forms in picture and video. You look _a lot_ like him, but in a related sort of way. In a _daughterly_ sort of way."

She didn't respond as she attempted to kneel. However, she fell back to sit on her feet as she did.

"There's a lot of him in his girl form. Even with boobs, he looked like a guy to me. Held himself like a guy. In videos, he walks like a guy and talks like a guy."

"'Cause he was a guy," she told him, matter-of-factually. "The curse doesn't make you turn into a girl in your head, too. Just like your dad isn't a panda in his head. And Shampoo isn't a cat."

"Which is why I know you're really not Ranma," Rintaro said, having let her finish his point for him. "You are such a girl, it's hard to believe it's possible you could be a guy."

Stopping her attempts to stand, Kimiko placed her hands to the ground beside her. She blinked staring at the ground between them. "What?"

"It's little things," he began, standing up quickly. He walked a few yards away and then back. "The way you talk, and walk. The way you dress fashionably, keep your nails long and paint them. Even if that's just to fit in, you don't look at girls the way guys do, or get embarrassed when you're around them. If anything, you remind me of Mayako, if she studied martial arts harder. She's a bit more of a tomboy once you get to know her. You aren't anything like Ranma, really."

At that moment, she rose, the strain of standing reflected on her face. He stopped pacing, and stood facing her. "Even if I told you that I was, you wouldn't believe me?" She rubbed her peach fuzz covered arms with her hand.

"I'd think you just hit your head really hard," he replied. "As normal."

"I'm Ranma," she told him.

"Uh huh," he said, humored by the serious version of this girl. "And that Taro guy did beat you up, probably hitting you in the head."

"I'm serious," she replied, taking a cautious step forward. Her left leg shook as she did, and he moved forward to support her, but she held her hand up. She wobbled a bit more, but slowly gained her balance.

"About having a concussion?" he said, fighting a chuckle. "Alright, let's pretend that you're not messing with me. When's your _real _birthday?"

She put her knuckle to her brow as she spoke next, her discomfort obvious. "Listen, I don't know. My brain got scrambled when I woke up. I had just finished high school, and I was about your age at the time in 1989."

"So, you were born in 1971, like Akane-sensei. Nice math. It was August 31, 1971. That's what his birth record said, anyway." Rintaro felt like cornering the girl was almost cheating. She looked sick, and from the conversation, he started to wonder about her sanity.

"I don't care," Kimiko said, closing her eyes. "Just leave me alone."

"Look, I'm sorry I backed you up into a corner like that," Rintaro apologized, putting his hand on her shoulder. She pushed off with her left hand, keeping her right to her head.

"Pretending for a second I am Ranma's daughter," she began, her tone so soft, he could barely hear her. "I'd know all this stuff through my father, and telling people I'm him would be pretty stupid. Yet, I told Kenichi earlier, and it's true."

Rintaro could not help but breathe a laugh out of frustration. "You're serious? That's why he was acting weird when we got back. Well, it's definitely one way to get the twerp to lay off. Telling a guy that likes you that you're a guy too _is _a shocker. If you're his daughter, why hide it with such a silly story?"

"I'd have to be hiding something," she said with a sigh. "You won't believe my story, because it's easier to just say I'm your niece, instead of your brother."

_She would be my niece if Ranma was her father. _The realization set in and he pulled back slightly. This had been all fun and games, then people got hurt, and then people he loved got hurt. _She looks so much like my mother and Ranma's girl side. If my parents are right, Ranma could be alive_.

"Easy to say you're my niece?" Rintaro asked, perplexed by the statement. "You realize how hard it was to find out about Ranma, let alone learn that he might be alive after all these years?"

"Is alive," she corrected. "And in front of you." The girl stood before him, looking him straight in the eye, hers wet with tears.

_Had she been crying this whole time?_ The thought distressed him. _She's family. Even if she is crazy. But in a way she's right, even if it's just Ranma's blood running through her veins._

"It's okay if you think I'm Kimiko," she told him. The raw emotions of someone hurt tremendously on her face were a mirror of what he had gone through over years. In a moment of compassion he was really not used to showing, Rintaro moved in and pulled her into a hug. She stiffened at first, but did not fight him.

"Ranma's empty grave is near here," he told her, which made her gasp. "Akane had it made when I was little, after he was officially declared deceased. Shampoo took me there once to show me it." His words elicited a sniffled giggle from her. "What's funny?" he asked. She drew back, pushing with her hands on his shoulders.

"Nothing, it was just nice of her to honor _him_ like that."

"Akane was really in love with him back then, so it's no wonder she at least paid his memory that much respect." Rintaro released Kimiko from the hug, but kept a shoulder on her arm in case she got wobbly. From her pallor, he wondered if she was feeling well at all.

"They were to be married in a month," Kimiko told him, her eyes lowered. "He had just proposed."

Rintaro's eyes opened a bit. _Akane was the one? No one ever told me that!_ Some had said he had been with Shampoo. Others said it had been Kasumi, Nabiki or Akane. A few other names had been mentioned that did not make any sense, such as the Furinkan High School P.E. director (from her own word), and the owner of the restaurant chain, Ucchan's.

"What happened to him?" Rintaro asked, looking at her seriously now. "I mean, obviously he survived if you're here. By the look of you, he did pretty well."

* * *

"What's that supposed to mean?" she said, wiping her eyes. _Get it together! _She took a deep breath.

"Well, he obviously met someone and had a child with her," Rintaro said as if that was the natural conclusion that anyone could have drawn from his statement. "Though looks like his height didn't pass on to you."

"I'm still growing!" Kimiko shouted, her anger peaking as he ribbed on her physicality again.

"So says thirty-six-year-old-san," he mocked, sticking his tongue out at her.

"You're going to get it!" she said as she swung at him, but her legs weren't fully powered up yet, so she fell forward. Rintaro sidestepped the punch, but caught her by the collar of her blouse.

"I could get used to teasing you," he told her, his tone about as affectionate as she had ever heard him. "See, a few words and tears dry up and you're good as new."

Kimiko regained her balance, and then slapped his hand away. _Well, pops had to give me a brother__;__ I should have guessed he wouldn't turn out any better than this._

"Back to my question, if you don't mind," he said squaring up his stance as he stared at her. "Ranma. Excluding your weird memories, when's the last time you physically _saw_ him. _Really saw him._"

_Be objective, be objective,_ she repeated to herself in her head. _When's the last time I was Ranma? __I remember the morning I proposed to Akane. I thought I had lost her ring in the koi pond, but then I found it and proposed all sopping wet. I was heading to the party with Daisuke, Hiroshi and Ryouga. And then nothing._

"I don't know," Kimiko told Rintaro, telling him the strange truth of the matter. "The last thing I remember, it was the summer after high school graduation. Shampoo and Ukyou had both left, and I... _he_ had just proposed to Akane. Then there are these weird fragments, like it was erased from my head. Ranma just ceases to exist. I haven't seen him since then."

_Waking up from the coma had cost me everything,_ she thought, staring at her hands. _Did it cost me my identity, my sense of self, too? I don't feel weird being a girl, like I used to. I d__on't mind the parts I used to fear._ _I don't even remember being male. The last year__-__and__-__change is the only thing that feels real._

"So the coma, that was a real thing?" Rintaro asked, and she glared at him, being so behind.

"No, I just slept eighteen years for fun." Glaring at him as she said it had hurt, so she just closed her eyes.

"And you spent another eighteen in rehab, right?" Rintaro said, his voice incredulous.

"What?" she asked, the remark teetering between punch-worthy insult and nonsense.

"Your body would have decayed to nothing in eighteen years," he told her. "You would be...well, even if I think you're a little thin for a high-powered martial artist, you'd be skin and bones. It'd take years just to be able to walk."

_Here he goes again, poking __holes in my freaking life experiences, _she thought, even though a little piece of her had been skeptical of Kiyoshi's easy answer as to why after only a few months of rehab, she was able to get back to the dojo.

"The curse," she tried to explain, but even now it was beginning to sound ridiculous. _A ghost made me younger to keep me alive, and then put me in stasis. Yeah right, tell him that. _"So there's holes in my story. It's the best I've got."

"Eighteen-year-old girl-type Ranma looked eighteen," Rintaro told her. "You look, well, not eighteen. The curse didn't stop time then. Why did it stop it now? Even if it preserved you from wasting away, how did it keep you from aging?"

"I don't know!" she shouted at him, her doubts burning her own head. "I don't remember anything, and then I wake up, and I'm in a foreign country. I'm too weak to stand. I'm shorter and stuck as a girl. I remember a life as Ranma. What else can I say? You explain my memories. Bodies change, curses mess things up. Ghosts possess people and it's scary as hell. But the one thing I've always been able to count on is right here." She pointed at her head. "My memories might be a bit fuzzy, but I know who I am. Even if I feel like a stranger in my body, or like I've hijacked some poor girl."

Rintaro's eyes were wide as she ranted. She realized this as she looked up at him. He was a head taller, but she still considered herself the bigger man.

"When I woke up, _he _called me 'Ranma'. He called me back. And I woke up."

"Who?" Rintaro asked, his mouth agape. "Who called you 'Ranma'?"

_I said too much,_ Kimiko thought as she realized she had brought Kiyoshi into the subject. She had managed to not mention him up until this point.

"You mean your _step_-_brother_, don't you?" Rintaro said, emphasizing her relationship with her the person she actually considered her brother. "Who is he to you? I mean, if you are Ranma's daughter, or even Ranma himself, what does a twenty-something Fortune 500 Tycoon have to do with a red-haired junior high-aged girl?"

_He__ saved me? Kiyoshi, where the heck are you? _She wracked her brain for an answer, but nothing came to mind. _Why did you save me, reformed Happosai? My story requires you, but you don't even make sense to me. Where am I now?_

"Are you okay?"

"I'm going to sit on the school wall until my ride is here," she told him and wandered towards the school's exit.

"Alright, so he's off limits," Rintaro said as he caught up to her. He put his hands in his pockets and matched her stride.

"Yes, he is," she told him, not wanting to doubt Kiyoshi or his stories about the ghosts of Jusenkyo. Without him, the things she had been seeing didn't make sense. Without him, she was some pitiful little thing with no parents and no home. _He fills the hole. He wraps everything with a bow.__ He saved me. Why am I doubting him now?_

She had woken from the coma a tiny person, with no way to reconcile the memories in her head with who she was. Kiyoshi's voice had been all that kept her from madness. _Kiyoshi, who are you? You said Happosai, but you've never been H__apposai. You've always been the big brother I never had, the father that cared for me more than just a way to carry on the school and take over the Tendou Dojo._

Reaching the wall, Kimiko stopped underneath it. It was visible only in the light of the moon shining down on them.

"Need a boost?" Rintaro asked, the lack of mocking in his voice suspicious.

"So you can cop a feel again? No thanks." Kimiko then ran for it, jumping at the wall with all of her might. She barely made it up halfway as she hit the wall, kicking herself up the rest of the distance to barely reach the top of the wall with her hands. She easily pulled herself up at that point, her arm strength undamaged by the pressure point strike. Sitting, she dangled her legs over the side facing the street.

"Nice work," the eighteen-year-old told her, having observed her from below. He then cleared the wall in a single jump to land on the top. He sat next to her.

"You have no right to question Kiyoshi," she told him. "He proved himself to me many times over. I should be questioning you, instead. You've only proven you can't be trusted."

"Hey, that was when I thought you were the bad guy," he said. When she glared at him, he raised his hands. "Let's just move on, okay? We're family after all."

_Some family,_ she thought, which would have sounded like a grumble if she'd vocalized it. _Baka._

"How can I prove myself?" he asked moments later. "Maybe I don't deserve a chance, but now that we've cleared the air, I would like a chance."

_To be fair, I did show up, beat __him in a match and then all hell broke loose._ "Just stop sabotaging me. If I ever come back from China, maybe we'll talk."

"What do you mean, if?" Rintaro's voice sounded almost hurt.

"To be fair, coming here was a terrible idea in the first place," she said, remembering running into Kenichi in the airport. "If not for Kenichi, I probably wouldn't have stayed more than a night or two."

"What do you see in that guy anyway?"

* * *

Kenichi waited while his father made a phone call home to let his sister know everything was safe. He still felt jittery from the fight with the man on the bridge and the dojo, though he imagined a lot of it had to do with it being cold out tonight. It had been warmer earlier, but once the sun had set, the temperature had dropped significantly.

"You say she called in?" his father said to someone on the other side of the phone. "Okay, we'll go there and see if we can find him. The bridge just lowered, so we'll go right now. Okay, I love you too, good-bye." Ryouga hung up the receiver.

Kenichi looked at his father expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"They hid in the high school," Ryouga said simply. "Let's go see if we can find them, and then all go home together."

"Okay," Kenichi replied.

The two of them ran out and followed Rintaro and Kimiko's steps. They crossed the bridge without incident and made good time towards the school. The time gave Kenichi a moment to reflect on the man running beside him.

While Ryouga had told him on several occasions that he loved his son, he hardly acknowledged him for his triumphs. Compared to Mayako, who could do no wrong in their father's eyes, Kenichi had to work twice as hard to get half as much praise. However, Ryouga had no problem telling him off whenever he failed, even as a child.

Ryouga followed after his son, as Kenichi knew that his father would become lost otherwise. With such a glaring flaw, the boy supposed the man projected his insecurities on him. He didn't blame Ryouga for the differential treatment, because Mayako needed the extra praise and attention, having become used to it.

_Maybe he ignores me to strengthen me? h_e wondered._ I do my own thing, and I don't look for approval from others first, like she does._

It took them a few minutes, but they soon neared the school. As they approached, Kenichi noticed two people sitting on the wall just past the gate to the school.

The pair slowed to a walk as they approached. The people sitting on the wall must have noticed them, because they jumped down onto the sidewalk. Kenichi quickly recognized Kimiko and Rintaro. Kimiko limped toward them. She looked rather worn down. Her unkempt red hair seemed wet in parts as it clung to her head on one side, while frizzy on the other. Rintaro looked a bit worn as well, as his clothes were ripped in places.

_As always, he ruins my good clothing,_ Kenichi reflected, shaking his head, more glad to see them okay than worrying about such a small thing.

When both pairs arrived in front of each other, he saw Kimiko's tired mannerisms quickly change. It was like watching a cat notice a threat and fall into a fight-or-flight response. She stopped quickly and all but fell into a stance, her bare feet gripping the concrete sidewalk tightly. The strangest part was that her eyes were focused on his father.

He looked to his left where his father stood next to him only to notice much of the same reaction. The two knew each other somehow. He could not explain it any other way. The pair faced off for another second before Kimiko spoke.

"What are you doing here?" Kimiko asked of Kenichi's father. Her voice trembled slightly. From anger or fear, Kenichi could not tell.

"That's Kenichi's dad, Kimiko," Rintaro said quietly, but loud enough to be overheard. He seemed a bit perturbed by their reactions.

"Say what?" Kimiko asked with her body rigid. She looked at Kenichi this time, as if she had never seen him before. "He's your father, Kenichi-kun?"

"I am," Ryouga said, stepping forward so that he stood in front of the girl. "And you're Kimiko Nishiyama, of whom I've heard so much."

"Shut up, Ryouga!" she yelled so quickly, it caught everyone off guard. Kenichi moved to his father's side, just out of the circle of light that the street lamp near them provided.

"I'm sorry?" his father said apologetically. "Do I know you?" He looked bewildered.

"Do you always forget the people you try to drown?" she demanded violently, pushing him back so strongly that Ryouga almost lost his balance.

"Excuse me?" Ryouga said, his voice sounding as mystified as Kenichi felt. "I don't even know you. What are you saying?"

"Oh no," Kimiko said, falling into an offensive stance. She raised her hands as if ready to fight. "You can't play coy with me. You nearly killed me in the park Sunday. You think I'd forget something like that?"

"What the hell is going on?" Rintaro demanded. He grabbed one of Kimiko's hands. "Is there a part of the story you didn't tell me?"

Kenichi walked around the three of them to gauge his father's face better. He examined him thoroughly, but all he saw on his father's face was confusion.

"Let me go!" Kimiko snapped at Rintaro, pulling out of Rintaro's grasp. "I spent Monday in the hospital because of this guy. You think I would make something like this up?"

"Ranma?" Ryouga asked, his voice raising an octave as he took a step back. "Is that you?"

Kimiko lunged at Ryouga, her movements noticeably slower than Kenichi had ever seen her move. Ryouga had no problem blocking her surprise low kick.

"No, Kimiko!" Kenichi shouted, attempting to come in between the girl and his father. However, the counterattack that the boy feared never came. Ryouga simply pushed her away with a violent shove.

The girl fell back, but rolled to her feet. Kenichi moved in front of his father, just as Rintaro grabbed the girl by the waist and yanked her back. However, Ryouga pushed passed his son and moved directly into range of the surprised Rintaro and Kimiko.

"Wait!" Kenichi tried to stop his father, but the man delivered a strong kick to both Kimiko and Rintaro, causing both of them to go flying across the street.

Kenichi's jaw dropped as he watched Kimiko and Rintaro land hard into the back of the wall. Ryouga began to run across the street towards them, but Kenichi got in his way.

"Stop!" he yelled, putting his hands out. His father ran into him, but slowed down in time and merely knocked him back a few feet into the street. "What is going on with you? Why'd you hit her?"

Ryouga looked down at his son with eyes full of deep sadness. He did not even look like himself with such tragic eyes. Taking Kenichi by the hands, he shook his head. "What?" Kenichi asked before Ryouga lifted him up and set him to the side.

Kenichi thought that Kimiko had started to recover at this point, but it was Rintaro who lifted her off himself. He held her tenderly, looking down at her. She looked really hurt.

When Ryouga reached them, Kenichi watched in fascination as Ryouga separated the kids and lifted Kimiko up in his fists. Kenichi rushed towards them as Rintaro stood up.

"Please don't hurt her, Hibiki-sensei!" Rintaro pleaded, carefully maintaining his distance from Kenichi's father. "She's not Ranma! Whatever you're thinking is wrong!"

"She...is not," he snapped, emphasizing the pronoun. "This is just some game that he likes to play. Isn't that right, Ranma? You're fine, so snap out of it."

Kenichi approached them from the side. Ryouga had lifted Kimiko by the collar. Her tiny tank top stretched upward so that Kenichi could see the bottom half of her torso. His eyes opened wide when he saw the huge blue and black welt on her left rib, where the fierce kick had struck her.

The look of excruciating pain on her face caused Kenichi's shock to wear off. She seemed to weakly be holding onto his wrists, unable to fight back.

In response to Ryouga's statement, she spat blood in the man's face. Her eyes shone with hatred.

Kenichi did not know what was going on, but he made a decision early. No one treated his friends like that, not even his father.

He caught his father completely off guard by striking him so hard in the ribs that Ryouga not only dropped Kimiko, but also fell onto the sidewalk. Rintaro caught the girl quickly, his arms reaching around her shoulders and supporting her.

Kenichi rushed to her, taking her from Rintaro so that he lay her out on the ground. She did nothing to resist, as she seemed to be catching her breath. The hit must have struck a lung. She whispered something, but it came out more as a cough.

"Do you know what the hell this is about, Kenichi?" Rintaro asked Kenichi as he stood near the two of them. He currently had his eyes focused on Kenichi's father, who seemed fine enough to stand on his own.

"Not a clue," Kenichi replied, examining the bruise. The black and blue shape of a fist resided just under her left breast along her ribs. The strike would have definitely broken a rib and would also explain why she had spat up blood. She needed medical attention, _again._

"Damn it, Kenichi," Ryouga swore from where he stood up. He had not moved towards them, which probably meant he was seeing a bit of reason now. "You don't know who you're helping there."

Kenichi looked down at the girl on the ground, her body covered in old and new bruises. _I'll not let anyone touch her, not even my father. _The three of them stood leagues below Ryouga in a match of strength, speed and skill. He would be surprised if the three of them together could even take Ryouga if he was being serious. With Kimiko down and out, they had no chance.

"She's not Ranma, you moron!" Rintaro screamed at Ryouga, his face more heated than Kenichi had ever seen. He stood in front of the girl, ready to fight. "What the hell was that about trying to drown her in the park? You do realize you assaulted a minor twice now, right? My relative at that! You have a lot to answer for, Hibiki-sensei!"

"Me?" Ryouga said, his voice furious. "He should be answering it. He's the one that attacked me in the park! He's lucky he's still breathing."

_Whether or not she is Ranma doesn't matter to me,_ Kenichi realized, standing next to Rintaro. _Her life is the most important thing to me right now._

Rintaro took a step towards the much deadlier fighter. "Seriously? You think that _little girl_ is Ranma? What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"That's not a girl," Ryouga said, more calmly this time, but still full of determination. "That's a thirty-six year old martial arts master who can take punches just as well as I can." He dusted himself off, his eyes fixed on Rintaro. "He was cursed by Jusenkyo years ago and likes fooling people to think he's a little girl. And yes, he is your brother, but not one who should deserve your protection."

Kenichi turned and bent down and lifted Kimiko into his arms so that her bad left side was exposed and not pressed up against him. She grimaced, but made no noise as she looped an arm around him. Her eyes were open, and tears streamed down them, but she held back so that not even so much as a whimper came out of her mouth.

It was at that moment as he stared down at her face, as a tear dropped down his cheek and landed on her chin, when she noticed him, her beautiful eyes focusing on him. Dilating in the darkness underneath the street lamp, her eyes widened. She reached up and touched his face, wiping the tears off his cheek.

"Don't cry, Kenichi-kun," she whispered, her breathing heavy.

He stared down at her, really looking at her closely for perhaps the first time without embarrassment. This was not an accidental run-in, or a confusing kiss in the water. As he held her, felt her heart beat against his chest, he realized that despite what she had said, this wasn't a thirty-six year old, or a man, or even a girl. This was the love of his life.

_I love you, Kimiko Nishiyama, whoever you are. I will follow you to the ends of the earth if I have to._

Overwhelmed, Kenichi gritted his teeth as he turned to face his father.

"You made a terrible, terrible mistake, dad," Kenichi told his father sadly, unable to stop the tears from rolling down his face. Kimiko continued to touch his face as he talked, her eyes staring up at him the whole time. "I know this girl. She doesn't change in water. She didn't trick us or hurt us. If anything, she protected us from that monster, from the gangs, from... each other."

Ryouga's expression changed, his anger dying as if a flame extinguished with water, turning to confusion. "You're sure? You've seen her yourself?"

"I fell into the koi pond with her," Kenichi informed him as he stared at his father. He suddenly hated him so much. "Mayako showered at the dojo with her. I'm sure she would have mentioned if she changed into a boy."

His father seemed to consider his words, putting his fingers to his head. "But I... he was... the darkness." His protestations turned to mumbling as Ryouga struggled with his actions.

Kenichi turned his attention back to the girl, who had closed her eyes, her breathing more regular and less ragged than before. She coughed once, squishing her face as she grimaced.

"If you're not Ranma, then why did you attack me in the park?" Ryouga demanded. To Kenichi, it seemed like he was trying to justify action, which he now questioned. Ryouga staggered back, his hands on his face. He looked suddenly like he was growing ill.

"You always act the victim, Ryouga," the girl spoke suddenly, answering the question Kenichi's father had asked. "You know why I attacked you. Think back to what you did, and I had every right. Maybe I deserved the drowning. Maybe I deserved that, but not by your hand. Never by you, you bastard! If my brother hadn't intervened, you would have killed me."

Once again, Kenichi's eyes widened as he stared at his father as if seeing him for the first time.

* * *

"Your brother?" Ryouga asked aloud, his mind clouding as to who she was talking about. He remembered little after the incident in the park. _She isn't talking about Rintaro. She means someone else entirely._

_If she isn't Ranma, who is she? _The thought chilled him. _She knows what I did, what the two of us did back then... how? Only Ranma knew that._

Then it occurred to him that during the entire fight, she had never claimed to be Ranma, despite looking like his girl-type. Up until the night he barely remembered confronting Ranma, drowning him in the park, the darkness, the shadow had followed him every step of his endless journey for the past two decades. When he woke the next day on a park bench, damp and bruised everywhere, he had assumed it had just been another nightmare.

Since then, his mind had been clear, as if whatever he had done there had cleared him of whatever demons had been following him for so long. It had been a reason to return home, and maybe even stay there. He had traded one curse for another the night he returned to Jusenkyo. He had traded turning into an animal for becoming one in spirit.

_Does that mean I'll turn back into a pig if I touch water?_

He had assumed this girl had been Ranma, because she looked like him and knew his name. Now he was slowly beginning to realize she was probably exactly who Genma and Soun thought she was and only knew him because of Ranma.

His son now stared at him as though he was some kind of monster. Even Rintaro was ready to fight him to defend her. They now took this girl's side without a doubt. His actions made him seem the less reliable point of authority. He knew he should agree with them.

"I—I'm sorry," he apologized, bending his body into a deep bow. He did not know what else he could do to at least take it back. He straightened out and looked at the girl.

"You're sorry?" she incredulously asked, her tone making it quite apparent it was not forgiveness she sought. "You think that takes back everything you've done?"

He could not even believe he had thought she was Ranma at any point in time. She was many years too young, and far too inexperienced a fighter to match what Ranma would be like now, if he had survived the fall. That drew Ryouga back. Ranma must have survived the fall if he could have had a child, though he wondered what kind of shape had it left him in.

She looked to be his son's age or a bit younger, fourteen or fifteen at the most. She did not have the body of a martial artist either, as her muscles were smaller. Ranma would have taken that blow and walked it off. The person he had fought on Sunday had seemed tougher than this girl, who looked like she had been beaten a few times in between now on the time in the park.

"I can't explain my actions," Ryouga started to say, but cut off his words as the headlights of a car turned onto the street in front of him. It drove down the narrow one-way street towards them.

"Are you insane?" Rintaro asked, his voice trembling slightly. Ryouga hoped he did not think that he would attack the young Saotome boy. "You actually did try to drown her?"

"It was a mistake," he said as the car slowed and stopped next to them. The sudden arrival took all of their attention away from the current events. "I thought you were Ranma."

The three kids looked away from him at the car. It was a small, black luxury sedan that probably cost a mint. Although they could not tell the make, it looked foreign and expensive. The driver turned off the engine and opened the door and stepped out onto the street.

Although the man that exited the vehicle was a complete stranger to Ryouga, he had the sudden feeling of déjà vu. The man was tall, probably a few inches taller than Ryouga. He was dressed in a suit, but had long black hair down his back that was longer than even the redhead's. One other thing that made him seem familiar was the look on his face. He shared the same look of anger that the three kids on the sidewalk sported on their faces. The man looked at Ryouga strangely, as if he had not expected to see him here.

Just before the stranger spoke, he slipped his arms out of his coat and rested it on the hood of the car. "So you didn't get enough last time, eh?" He then rolled back the sleeves of his white dress shirt.

Ryouga struggled for words, but somehow could not answer. He merely felt confused. He took a step back. "Who are you?"

The man walked over to the redhead and Ryouga's son, appraising her injuries.

"Her brother," he said simply. He sounded cool. Ryouga knew this man was more powerful than he looked. He walked with pure confidence.

"Kiyoshi," the redhead's voice was full of relief. She suddenly grabbed Kenichi tightly, and then tried to lower her legs. Kenichi helped her stand on her feet. "You're finally here."

"Of course," Kiyoshi responded with a glance Ryouga's way. "Are you okay? You look a lot worse off than you mentioned on the phone." He took the girl from Kenichi and examined her arms.

Before Kimiko responded, Ryouga suddenly got the impression that this was not the first time he had seen the dark man in the suit. Ryouga's memory refused to divulge any details, but Kiyoshi had definitely met Ryouga before.

"I just want to go," Kimiko said after a moment of silence. Her eyes met Ryouga's. She seriously looked injured, though, as she still was being supported by her son. Ryouga had intended to knock the wind out of Ranma, not seriously injure a teenager. He gritted his teeth, feeling guilty for hitting a real girl half his age.

"What's that man doing here?" Kiyoshi said, his eyes turning to meet Ryouga's for a moment. It was in that moment that Ryouga knew the night would not resolve peacefully between them. He hoped the man packed more punch than beauty, because he would need it all to best him.

"Ryouga was just explaining why he tried drowning a fourteen-year-old girl in the pond at the park, and then beat her up again today," Rintaro said loudly, his voice echoing down the empty street.

"Before we make any further mistakes," Ryouga began, unable to let them talk over his head anymore. "Let's try to talk this out. I deeply apologize for what happened and really want to clear this situation up before we go any further."

Kiyoshi did not seem to hear. He walked Kimiko over to the car, where he opened the back seat and sat her down and closed the door. Kenichi followed her around to the other side, where he got in as well. Ryouga could not see either behind the darkly tinted glass. He had an ominous feeling about this.

* * *

Rintaro watched in shock as Kiyoshi leapt at Ryouga so suddenly that the two adults had already begun to fight before his brain had recognized that Kiyoshi had made the first move. His eyes opened wide at the speed of their attacks. Kiyoshi moved with such fluid speed that Rintaro doubted that Ryouga could even keep up with his storm of attacks.

It ended before anything even seemed to happen. One moment, Kiyoshi leapt at his opponent, the next their arms were a blur of attacks, and then in the finale, Ryouga slid to the ground with Kiyoshi standing on top of him. Rintaro could only watch with his mouth gaping.

"What's this?" Kiyoshi said atop his fallen foe. "Where's the man I fought the other night?"

Ryouga seemed to stir as if to answer, but Kiyoshi kicked him in the gut. Stunned, Rintaro watched him do it again without Ryouga even resisting.

The car doors opened, one after the other as Kimiko stepped out. She stumbled and fell, but caught herself on the door.

"Don't do this, Kiyoshi," Kimiko in a voice that did not even hint at pleading. It was almost as if she was angry with him. "Let's just leave. I can't take it here anymore."

Kiyoshi did not seem to pay attention to her. With his jaw set, he drove his foot into Ryouga's abdomen. For his part, the older man did not seem to fight off the attack or even challenge it. He seemed to want to answer, but obviously could not with the force against his lungs.

"I'll deal with him, Kimiko," Kiyoshi said, dismissing his sister casually. His words seemed cruel as his eyes never left the man he punished. "Get in the car."

"You can't tell me what to do," she responded angrily, stabilizing herself. Rintaro walked over to help her, but she waved him off. Rintaro had been surprised she was still breathing after Ryouga's attack.

Rintaro felt guilt for his placing the blame on the girl. She seemed to have enough problems that his trials would be too much to pin against her as well.

"Kiyoshi, he's Akane's husband," she said fiercely, walking to the end of the car. Kiyoshi stood over Ryouga in the middle of the street, and he did not even stir.

"Did you hear me, Kiyoshi?" Kimiko demanded as she reached the end of the car, keeping her hand firmly over the hood of the car.

"I can hear you just fine," he snapped. He turned his head to face her with violent eyes. "Go sit in the car."

"You knew," she said with shock in her voice.

It was about this time that Rintaro looked around, not seeing Kenichi anywhere. The boy had not turned up since he had exited the vehicle.

"You knew, didn't you?" she asked, much louder this time.

Rintaro approached the car and went to the other side, where the rear passenger's side door remained open, but Kenichi was not in the vehicle nor standing beside it. Rintaro bent over and looked underneath the vehicle. He then righted himself and looked over at the trio.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Kimiko shouted in demand. She now stood close to the car.

"Kenichi?" Rintaro asked of the darkness, looking about.

"I told you more than you should have heard," Kiyoshi finally replied. "You were barely able handle what I did tell."

Rintaro took one step forward towards them when he felt something slimy slip around his neck and tighten like a noose. The sudden shock of it caused him to hiccup as he was about to yell Kenichi's name. It took less than a second and he was yanked off his feet and over the wall. He could only mutely dangle his feet and grab at the slippery tentacle around his neck.

"You should have told me!" Rintaro heard someone shout as he fell hard onto the grass on the other side of the wall. Then something sharp dug into his back. He would have yelled, but the cord around his neck kept him from speaking. He mutely gasped as whoever held him choked the breath from his lungs.

* * *

"Told you what?" Kiyoshi demanded of Kimiko. He looked angrier than she had ever seen him before. She did not know how much of it he directed at her, and how much of himself. "That the scum under my feet ruined your life? You knew that much without having to know the details."

In one quick move, Ryouga threw Kiyoshi's feet off his body and rolled to his feet. He backed away from Kiyoshi, warding the man back with his hands. "I would like a chance to defend myself." His flushed face sported a footprint on his face and he breathed heavily, but did not look much the worse for wear.

"By all means, try to block as I rip you apart," Kiyoshi said with such emotion, Kimiko stared at him in confusion. It was almost as if he had suffered under Ryouga, and not she. Something did not make sense. Kimiko's memories of the event that lead to her coma were fractured at best. It had been Kiyoshi who told her that Ryouga had been the one to inflict the coma.

One part of Kimiko wanted Kiyoshi to do just as he promised, but she knew deep inside of her, that it was not what she really desired. For a year-and-a-half they had practiced, fought, but never had she ever wanted to hurt Kiyoshi. He made life possible for her. He offered her safety, not pity. She owed him so much, but she could not let him do something that she would regret.

She felt like hell, but managed the few strides to Kiyoshi. With his back turned to her, Kiyoshi never saw her coming. She quickly struck a few pressure points on his back, which caused him to fall back. Catching him, Kimiko wrapped her arms around his and held tightly. He recovered quickly, but did not fight against her as hard as he could have.

"What?" Kiyoshi said as he fell into her arms. He seemed completely caught off guard by her move. "Kimiko-chan?"

"Ryouga, you have a minute to explain yourself. If you want to walk tomorrow, you better make it quick."

Kiyoshi stood, but did not fight her grab. Instead he turned to look at the girl. She looked up at him, hoping he would accept her decision to listen first. She then turned to look at Ryouga, who had his mouth frozen open in horror. He only took one step back as his arm rose and his finger pointed above her head. Kimiko turned to look where he pointed.

Standing on the perimeter wall of the school stood one of the most terrifying things she had ever seen. Whatever he had been before, he no longer was recognizable. The beast that stared down at them stood so tall that the wall doubled his height. His hairy legs were mountains of muscled flesh and the least distorted part of his body. His upper body no longer looked at all human, or even mammalian. Two arms were almost obscured by the flailing tentacles that covered his chest and sides. At the top of the beast rested the head of a bull.

"What?" Kiyoshi said, his back still slumped against Kimiko.

"Taro," she said faintly, but then saw what scared Ryouga the most. She turned the two of them to face the creature.

The beast jumped down from the wall, extended his wings and landed on the roof of the car, crushing it with his massive weight. From behind him, he showed the two boys that Kimiko had failed to notice disappear. Both Rintaro and Kenichi were held high above the ground, now shining in the light of the nearby street lamp. Tentacles held them at the neck and waists. It was obvious he could strangle either of them without much trouble.

"What in the name of God?" Kiyoshi whispered, his voice expressing his surprise. "What has he become?"

The last time Kimiko had seen Taro's cursed form, he was half the size and was not so gravely distorted. Kimiko suddenly wondered if she would see a friend die tonight because of her thoughtless wish to return home.

"Taro?" Ryouga demanded, his voice tight with anger. "Let go of my son."

The beast did not say a word, but merely stared down at them, almost dispassionately. He shook his head once with a grin that displayed a mouth of narrow, sharp teeth that might have resided along the jaws of an alligator more so than a human or even a bull.

"What do you want?" Ryouga said, each word pronounced slowly. "I told you everything I know already. When will that be enough?"

"When I find him!" Taro hissed back, his voice so distorted by the changes to his body, that Kimiko barely understood his words to be more than a low growl.

"Stall him," Kiyoshi whispered to her, placing the girl in front of him. "Just get his attention long enough for me to deal with him"

"Okay," she said, releasing him.

"I have your friends, girl," the beast growled, waving Rintaro with a tentacle on his left side. Rintaro immediately began to choke as the tentacle holding his waist released pressure, merely binding his hands and legs instead.

"Stop!" Ryouga shouted. "What's she have to do with the old man? I thought you were after me."

Kimiko looked around for anything she could use to cut the tentacles. The only thing on the street was the car. Shattered glass lay around the vehicle in large shards. She noticed a particularly large windshield fragment on the side of the vehicle closest to the sidewalk.

"Only he matters," came the guttural words from the mouth of the monster. Kimiko could not help but shiver.

She looked for Kiyoshi, but he had vanished somehow after standing behind her. Casting a glance over at Ryouga, she suddenly realized they were allies again. The only time that ever occurred was when the odds were piled up against them and their causes were the same.

Glancing down at the shards of glass, she had to get Taro to move off the car without jeopardizing the life of her brother and her friend. When the plan came to her, she wondered if she could pull it off without losing her life.

* * *

Ryouga trembled slightly as Taro held his son by the neck. He knew firsthand the strength of the beast, but that was not the revelation tonight. He had fought Taro on several occasions, but never did he imagine that he could assume such a form. The last time they had done battle, he had been smaller and lacked the sheer amount of appendages that he sported across his back and sides now. Ryouga could only imagine what changed with the man's curse.

Glancing down at the redheaded girl, he suddenly realized her brother was gone, and he began to panic. He doubted either of them could fight right now, not with the hostages wrapped in the monster's tentacles. His heart racing, the man gritted his teeth.

"I thought you were after me," Ryouga said again, the growl he received before not really explaining anything. "Why are you after her? She can't know anything about him."

"Yet she does," the thing said with its horribly distorted voice. "Speak or I break this one's neck."

Kenichi, who dangled over the beast's right shoulder, suddenly dropped a foot. His eyes bulged as the tentacles wrapped around his waist no longer held him. He began to choke loudly.

"Stop it!" Kimiko yelled as she stood up quickly. "I will tell you anything you want to know. Please, just let them go!"

"Talk now or he dies!"

Kimiko took a few steps forward as she spoke. "I haven't seen him for years, I swear it! It's been so long I barely remember what he looked like!"

"Come closer and I crush their necks," Taro threatened, lifting Rintaro forward. Unlike Kenichi who struggled, Rintaro seemed to limply hang by his neck. He did not fight, which really worried Ryouga, who felt totally powerless to help the children.

"Taro," Kimiko began with her palms turned up with her arms stretched out. "Take me instead. I'll tell you everything if you release them."

The beast seemed to entertain the notion as he regained his grasp on the waists of the two boys. Ryouga let out a deep sigh of relief, exhaling the air he had inadvertently held in.

"Although it's true that I haven't seen him in a long time," Kimiko said quickly, "I know someone who is closer to him than anyone. I'll lead you to him if you just let them go. Please."

Ryouga began to walk towards the girl as she moved closer to the crushed car, her bare feet walking over the glass on the street. With each step she left behind droplets of blood. She seemed to completely ignore her brother.

"If you even think about fighting, someone will die," Taro said simply in his raspy, torn voice.

"Where the hell did that guy go?" Ryouga whispered, looking around for the man who had disappeared.

Ryouga looked up at the girl who bravely risked her life for his son and Rintaro Saotome. He felt torn between his selfish need to allow her to be taken for his son, and his guilt over Ranma's disappearance. He owed both of the children life. He only wished he could trade his own for theirs instead. He wished he could find Happosai and hand him over to the beast, dead or alive, so this would end once and for all.

Kimiko stood defiantly at the side of the car, so close to the beast that he could easily attack her now. "If you kill either of them, I'll never say a word. I'll kill you, or you'll kill me and you'll never get your revenge." She then knelt to the ground. "Take me instead. You don't need them."

"No!" Kiyoshi screamed, giving away his position far to the monster's flank. He stood, having abandoned his attempt to sneak up on the monster. "Ryouga, stop her and I'll forgive you everything. Please, don't let him have her! He'll kill her!"

The beast swung around, his attention suddenly returning to the man. "Who the hell are you?" He then swung back to face Ryouga. "If you move, only your son dies, Hibiki." The creature deftly waved Kenichi in the air. "I think I'll take you up on your offer girl, but I'm keeping one of them. Who shall I release?"

Kimiko looked up, her face calm, her eyes strange. She looked stronger, as she had when she'd fought Ryouga in the dream. "Release them both or you will never get what you want. One way or another."

"You're in no position to demand anything," he said. A free tentacle on his left side, just below Rintaro, reached down towards her slowly, caressing her face. "I can take all three of you if I wanted."

They all stood off against each other for a moment, until Taro relented.

"Fine," Taro began, his voice low. "We have a deal, but I will drop this boy off after we leave here. I do not want his father thinking he can keep his child and still kill me."

Ryouga's eyes opened wide as the tentacle carrying Rintaro drew back and then whipped him around and released the child. The eldest Saotome child flew across directly at Ryouga. He barely managed to catch the boy before he realized he was too late to do anything. He, Kimiko and his precious son were all gone as a gust of wind picked the monster up into the air.

"Waaaait! Nooo!" Kiyoshi cried, sounding as if his heart was breaking.

* * *

Author's Notes: We're getting close to the end. The next section of the fiction will be the last that I wrote back in 2007. I plan to write one more chunk of story, and then conclude everything in an epilogue. Since I'm rewriting large portions of the story, it will take me a lot longer to finish than previous chapters that were merely reformatted, edited and slightly rewritten where things didn't make sense to me. As an example for this, of the 32 pages I have for this chapter, I rewrote 20 of them, which is why it took me so long to deliver this piece.

I'm reposting the families chart for your reference, since the last time I posted it, it had a few inaccuracies, and it was also a while ago.

The Nishiyama Clan  
Kimiko Nishiyama (14-15): Formerly Ranma Saotome (18-36), locked in female form.  
Kiyoshi Nishiyama (20s?): Formerly Happosai (?), unknown cursed status. Owner of Nishiyama, Inc.

The Tendou Clan  
Soun Tendou: Head of the Clan  
Kasumi Tendou (39): Wife of Mousse, homemaker.  
Mousse (36): Husband of Kasumi, currently on tour with his rock band.  
Nabiki Tendou (37): Executive at Nishiyama, Inc.  
Akane Tendou (36): Wife of Ryouga, teacher at the Tendou Dojo.  
Ryouga Tendou (36): Husband of Akane, whereabouts unknown.  
Reiko Tendou (17): Daughter of Kasumi and Mousse.  
Kenichi Tendou & Mayako Tendou (15): Twins of Akane and Ryouga.  
Eiji Tendou (7): Son of Akane and Ryouga.

The Saotome Clan  
Genma Saotome: Husband of Nodoka.  
Nodoka Saotome: Wife of Genma.  
Rintaro Saotome (18): Son of Genma and Nodoka.  
Shintaro Saotome (11): Son of Genma and Nodoka.

The Ono Clan  
Shampoo Ono: Married to Tofo Ono. Manager of Ucchan's in Nerima.  
Dr. Tofu Ono: Married to Shampoo Ono. Local chiropractor.  
Ryosei Ono (16): Son of Shampoo Ono and Dr. Tofu Ono.  
Mai Ono (15):Daughter of Shampoo Ono and Dr. Tofu Ono.

The Kuonji Clan  
Ukyou Kuonji (36): Owner of Ucchan's chain restaurants, currently lives outside Nerima.


	14. Part Three: Sayonara (7 of 8)

**Misery Loves Company**  
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Part Three: Sayonara  
(7 of 8)

The Beast twisted before the red-haired girl, an inhuman monster of hair, feathers, horns and writhing tentacles as if out of a Lovecraftian horror novel. With her breath held fast, she stood defiantly against the opponent who outmatched her in his human form. Despite the weakness in her legs and the pain of her injuries, she maintained a strong stance as if to fight him.

When the creature launched Rintaro overhead directly into Ryouga, the girl braced herself. Barely a second later, three tentacles struck her like a whip, grappling her by the arm, leg and around her waist. Stifling a cry of pain, Kimiko closed her eyes as the sting of their contact felt like fire against her skin. She was lifted off the ground by the incredible strength of the monster. The next moment, she felt the wind blow through her hair as the creature carried her across the sky, its wings unfolding like some kind of fallen angel's, gliding on the wind.

The sliver of glass she had tucked between her thin belt and the waistband of her skirt had begun to dig into her hip as she hung upside down, as if she were an apple dangling from a tree branch. How the monster had enough strength within its tentacles to lift the two teenagers, Kimiko could not imagine, as they were as thin as rope and had little musculature.

Grabbing onto the tentacle grabbing her arm, she tried to stabilize herself long enough to get a glimpse of Kenichi, but it swung him around to the opposite side of its body. The seven-foot-tall monster made amazingly quick time, alternating between gliding and rooftop hopping. At first, she had observed Kiyoshi able to keep up with them, but after a few minutes, he was nowhere to be seen.

Ignoring the pain and the blood, she focused on her goal. She needed a moment when they stopped so she could sever enough of his tentacles to free herself and Kenichi. With only one person to focus on saving in addition to herself, she knew she could do it. She could buy time with half-truths if he questioned her, but his tolerances for them had seemed to dissipate since their last confrontation by the car.

Kimiko decided to test to see if Taro had nerve endings in his tentacles, by digging her nails into the one along her waist. What she found was that the tentacles were harder than flesh and resisted her piercing nails like Kevlar. Using her nails like a saw, she brought them across the tentacle, affording slightly more success. The cutting motion did more and pierced the outer lair of thick skin, but still brought no reaction from her captor.

As the tentacle around her neck began to tighten, she took in a deep breath and began to concentrate. It slowly cut off her air, but she could last several minutes without it. If it squeezed tighter and cut the blood from her brain, she would lose consciousness quickly. She wondered how well he knew that threshold.

Despite its stride being nearly twice the length of hers, Kimiko knew that once Kiyoshi caught their scent, he would track them down and destroy the monster. The sooner he did, the quicker she would be safely on a plane out of Nerima, bringing her misfortune with her and away from the families that had hosted her.

She began to get dizzy as the tentacle around her neck did not release after a few minutes. Her vision began to darken and her senses faded. However, moments later Taro released her neck. At the same time he released her, she heard Kenichi coughing and wheezing. He must not have been paying much attention, treating them both the same way as he traveled.

Kimiko took the time to properly breathe, catching her breath and preparing for more choking. Just as she took in a deep breath, their forward momentum suddenly halted and she felt herself falling, only to be caught by the thick tentacles. She caught her breath as the exterior changed to interior, moving from a balcony into a motel room. Taro threw Kenichi across the room, where the boy rolled to a stop against the wall. He did not immediately start moving, which worried Kimiko.

Taro did not release her, instead grabbing her around the ribs with his overly large hands. When he removed the tentacles from around her waist and replaced them with his hands, the piece of glass adjusted to the side and sliced the skin just above her right hip. She gritted her teeth as she dangled above the floor.

"Where did you see him last?" the beast asked as he walked her into the room. "Your life and that of the boy depend on quick answers. Ryouga will find us soon, but if he arrives before you tell me what I want to know, I'll snap your necks. His first." That was the most he'd said since confronting them in his beast form, and his voice sounded as normal as when he had spoken in his human form.

When he turned her around to face him, she marveled. His body was still that of the Beast, but with Taro's human head and hair resting on his shoulders.

"How did you do that?" she asked, her breath caught.

"What? This?" He then performed another remarkable feat before her eyes. The most of his body shifted back to normal, except for his arms and the tentacles holding her. He wore his baggy pants and his scale vest over his human body, but retained one feature he'd had before. If she had not known better, she might have mistaken him for an angel, with wings growing out from his back, reaching across the entire width of the room.

"You seem interested, little girl," Taro said smugly, grinning through his yellowed teeth. "Perhaps I'll tell you in exchange for the answer to a question."

"Just let my friend go," she begged, gritting her teeth harder as he squeezed her again. This time the glass shard slipped further forward, sliding past her hip to her front. It now began to cut at the right side of her stomach. "That's all I care about."

"Suit yourself," he told her with a shrug. "Freedom for everything you know about the old man, but only if I like what I hear."

She considered his offer. Kiyoshi could handle the fallout, but she did not want that information in the wrong hands. It could tear him down from his very roots. On the other hand, Taro could probably kill her if he chose to. She had to buy some time and recover the weapon that now felt like it was cutting a hole in her stomach. With all the pain from all over her body, it was difficult to pinpoint what was hurt.

"When I said I haven't seen the old man in a long time, I wasn't lying." Before she could say more, he stunned her with a slap across the face. The sting remained as she noticed his hands had reverted to human ones, even though tentacles still held her by the neck and legs. She shook off the blow.

"That's not what I wanted to hear," he said plainly, without any emotion. "What I do want to hear are names, locations, new identities, anything I can use."

"How do you know I won't just lie to get you off my back?" she asked, doubting his offer for their safety if she tattled.

"I'll know," he said smoothly. His eyes bored into hers. "I'll know, because that is what I do best. You will tell me the absolute truth, and I'll feel it."

"He's here in Tokyo," she said, teasing him with the truth, testing his ability.

_Hook_. His jaw cracked open and his eyes narrowed. "Interesting. Go on."

"After you attacked us, I called him," she told him. "He will probably find you."

_Line_. He jerked and then began to shake her, whipping her back and forth. "How aren't you lying? That's ridiculous! Why would he evade me for so long only to come now? He's been gone since..." He trailed off and stared her directly in the eyes.

After he stopped shaking, she regained her composure and stared him directly in the eyes. He looked almost frantic. "Since I disappeared."

_Sinker_. Taro softened and released her completely. She fell backwards against the bed he had been holding her over. His laughter pierced her ears.

"All this time," he said softly, almost belligerent. "All this time and he's coming to me for some puny girl. For some girl, he'd confront the monster he created, trained, cast off. I can't believe my luck."

Kimiko took the opportunity to try to recover her weapon. She slowly slipped the sliver of glass out of her waistband and up into her shirt. As she began to drag it up, she felt the tentacles grab her arms. Before she could get a hold of the shard of glass, it ripped upwards slicing through the tank top she wore under her shirt, and lacerating around her navel. The other end tore her shirt from both of its sharp ends. She struggled for only a moment, and the piece of glass fell to the side of her shirt as he took her by the hands.

"What does he know?" His eyes looked hungry as the maniacal grin extended from his lips across his face and his intentions. He looked capable of anything at this moment.

"Everything," Kimiko told him.

"Well, he can't know about my new abilities yet," Taro reasoned. "So I can surprise him with that. I'm sure the old man doesn't have too many new tricks up his ragged sleeves." Kimiko said nothing, but he noticed the expression on her face. He scowled. "He knows. Somehow he knows."

He brought his fist back and punched her across the cheek so hard her head whipped back. He still held her right hand, so she fell back onto the shard of glass. It felt oddly warm as the edge sliced along her side. Stars swam across her vision as she tried to right herself. She did not know how much longer she could hold out if he kept this up. The day had been long and full of pain. She held onto consciousness with all of her will.

"Did I hurt you?" Taro mocked, releasing her hand to allow her to drop back against the bed. "Getting a bit bloody, are we?" She felt him grab her by the ankles and pull her back to the edge of the bed. He then lifted her by grabbing the front of her blouse. As it became untucked, she felt the shard of glass slide out beside her.

Her left eye refused to open, but the right one saw his face clearly. Entirely human now, Taro held her tightly around the wrists. The look in his brown eyes displayed nothing more than absolute control. He believed he would get what he wanted and that he would win out over her. She wanted that look to be there.

"Saotome," he said. "You can't fall asleep yet. I haven't even started to have fun. The night has only just started."

Kimiko put her hands down and managed to palm the shard of glass, hiding it behind her wrist. "He's going to kill you." _And if he doesn't, I will. _Her words echoed for a moment and she braced for another punch, but it did not come.

"I don't care what you think he's going to do. That's not what I asked you." He glared at her but then squinted his eyes. "That man who arrived in the car. The one playing with Ryouga is somehow involved with the old man." A change overcame his face. His lips curled into a vicious grin.

Kimiko did not reply. She readied her arm. She would only have one chance at it.

"Good," he said with a grin. He eyed down at her blouse. "Did you cut yourself somewhere? You're bleeding more than I expected."

"Before I say anything, let Kenichi go like you promised," she demanded, but her voice was weak. She had intended to speak firmly, but her lungs wheezed as she tried, coming out tiny. It dawned upon her that she might not have the strength to fight any longer. _I'll make it th__rough this. I've been through a lot worse._

"Alright," he said, chuckling right afterward. "Hey, Kenichi, your girlfriend bought your freedom. Leave before I kill you."

Kimiko looked over at him. He still lay face first on the ground, his arms splayed haphazardly beside him. He looked unconscious and did not respond to Taro's words.

"Looks like he wants to die," Taro said wryly, the mirth in his voice more troubling than anything. "I'd be only happy to oblige the little bastard."

Taro violently shoved Kimiko to the bed. As she fell back against the mattress of the bed, adrenalin shot into her veins, slowing her perception of time down. Rebounding off the bed, she concentrated her energy and pushed herself back up. She strengthened her abdomen and pushed forward, using every ounce of will to force the rebound.

With the momentum from the bed, she tucked her legs back and sat upright on her knees. In her mind, she plotted her course. She would have to move quickly and attack his ribs in the gap where his shimmering green armor did not cover him. Typical of ancient armor, the green metal scales only covered the front and back, leather straps on the sides holding together. This left the arms, sides and neck exposed.

_I can do this, _she thought to herself, building up her confidence as her arm began to tremble with power. She watched as he bent over towards her friend, and her mind focused instantly. She catapulted from her kneeling position to her feet, drawing her hand back to build up momentum on her strike.

At that moment, the shard of glass slipped through the cracks of her fingers, until she gripped the blunt end of it in her palm, holding it like a dagger. She pushed the thrust with all of her might, every ounce of life she had left in her moving forward on the end of that piece of glass.

Just as Taro's fingers began to grab Kenichi by the throat, her arm snapped, and all of her chi collapsed into his side, entirely focused on the point of the bloody chunk of glass. In slow motion, she watched as it began to sink into his flesh, his pained reaction stopping his movement, and he drew back away from her.

Just as quickly as she struck him, he countered her, dropping Kenichi and bringing up his fist. She dropped her center of mass as low as she could, sliding under him due to their size difference. The piece of glass sank in as far as it would go.

_You'll be smaller than most of your opponents, so use that to your advantage, _a familiar voice said in her mind._ Make them come to you. _An image of fighting her father as a child appeared in her head. Whatever time those words had come from, she acknowledged them and dropped out of his range, forcing him to go to her.

His counter was to swipe down at her with his fist like a hammer. She rolled her back to avoid the blow, but it struck her shoulder and sent her crashing down to the floor. Luckily, it mostly hit bone, hurting his hand just as much as he bruised her shoulder. Kimiko took the opportunity to kick up at the stab wound where the glass still stuck out of him.

"Graaaah!" the man-monster exclaimed, taking a step away from her, giving her just enough opportunity to jump up on the bed.

"It's on now, _Pantyhose,_" she taunted, drawing in deep to generate the calm needed for her Blast Fist strike. _Pain is just __nerve endings connecting to my brain, telling me something I don't care to hear._ She focused, watching the man wrench the glass from his side, and then toss it to the floor.

"I'm going to kill you slowly," the man said to her as he leaked blood. "When I'm done with you, that whole, hideous family of yours is going to be crying over your dying corpse."

_I am the ice in the Arctic,_ she told herself, drawing on the training she had first picked up in physical therapy. Drawing out the pain in her mind, she focused on nothing but her opponent. _I am the calm in the center of the storm._

"Nothing to say?" he said, seemingly recovered. "Good, I prefer them nice and quiet before I kill them."

In a split second, he lunged. One moment he stood almost nonchalant against the dresser adjacent to the wall, and the next he was in motion, blurring towards her. She moved even quicker, sidestepping his attack. She jabbed a single finger into his wound about an inch before unleashing her chi.

"Bakufuuken!" Kimiko sent Taro flying, his limbs flailing like a rag doll as he crashed into the dresser, crushing it. He left a dent in the wall as well, his blood splattered all over.

He coughed and laughed at the same time, slapping dresser fragments off himself.

Moving with her chi-enhanced speed, Kimiko slid down and retrieved the shard of glass and fell into a stance. Despite his overwhelming power in such a small space, he was just as tired as she was, having fought his way through at least four opponents in the span of a few hours, in addition to exerting himself on the ride over. While she had sustained some damage during her captivity, she knew she could do it now.

She picked up a strong support of the dresser that had been sent flying when Taro destroyed the furniture with his body, and then pulled it up against her arm.

Taro seemed to grasp the reality of his situation, pushing himself up. His body shimmered and suddenly his body was twice as thick, his arms as wide as a telephone pole. At full transformation of his yeti body, he barely fit in the room, as his mane of hair brushed the ceiling. His eyes glowered in fury.

_I am the ax, and he is the tree bark,_ she recited in her mind, something she remembered hearing when training in the jungle. The thought caused her chi to manifest so strongly that she felt her arms buzzing as the hair on her nape stood up.

"You must concentrate," she heard in her memories, the voice echoing in every fiber of her body. "You can't break the wood if you are as brittle as it is. In your mind, you must be as the ax is: sharpened steel, stronger than anything else. You have to concentrate, focus until your hand is the ax blade. If you can't do it in your mind, you can't do it."

She saw the man in her mind, his long black hair, his blue eyes. Nothing but absolute clarity of purpose filled her mind as her father guided her with his words, with his memory and his spirit.

Taro's body showed signs of forward movement, but before he could even take a step, she was on him. Ignoring the pain of the glass, she struck forward. "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" His arms moved to block her attacks, and with each, she struck him with the wood and sliced him with the glass, cutting his hairy arms to ribbons. She focused so much chi into her attack that her eyes began to burn and her lungs cried out for air.

When she ceased the attack, her uncountable number of strikes causing maximum damage against him, she watched him take a staggered step back. However, as she caught her breath, he lunged again, his stagger a feint.

She reacted just as quickly, darting to the right and up the wall. Swinging the glass across, she cut his arm as she ducked by him, pushing off the wall and landing on the ground behind him.

"Damn it!" the monster growled, trying to spin. She ducked under his arm and dove into him, jabbing the glass into his chest. It sank in nearly an inch deep when he swung out, breaking off her attack with his strong swipe. She ducked under it, but lost a large chunk of the glass as it broke off in his chest.

"Gah!" he exclaimed, taking a step back to pull the glass out. However, Kimiko did not relent, throwing the remaining shard forward like a shuriken at his neck. Taro managed to avoid the glass, but was unable to dodge her follow up strike with the length of the wood she held in her hand. It jabbed him where a pressure point would have existed had he been human.

The monster suddenly completed its transformation, tentacles darting out of its sides and wings wide enough to touch both sides of the room growing out of his shoulder blades, the walls forcing them to curl at the end they were so long.

"What the hell?" Kenichi yelled, his voice on the edge of panic as he woke for the first time since his capture.

"Kenichi-kun, run!" Kimiko cried at him as she tried to keep hold of her energy, but her chi was beginning to wane as her concentration did. _I have to focus on nothing but the monster._

Kenichi tried to do just that, but a tentacle shot forward to grab his arm. Just as another one shot forward to grab Kimiko's arm, she grabbed it between the piece of wood and her hand and leaped towards her friend. Swinging with the tentacle, she intersected with the one grabbing Kenichi, landing behind it, and then grabbed it with the one she still held.

Another tentacle reached out as Taro was having difficulty maneuvering with his wings blocking his movement. She ran up the wall, tying the other two tentacles around the newest addition, effectively tying up all of the tentacles on the left side of his body together. She then dove forward, past Taro and into the bathroom.

Inside, she slammed the door shut on the tentacles. She could hear Taro's roar of pain, which would have the entire neighborhood up at this point. Kimiko kicked the mirror causing shards of glass to fall into and around the sink. With her right hand she reached and grabbed the long piece. The pressure of the tentacles attempting to retreat back was strong, but she held them and the door shut with the piece of dresser and her left shoulder.

Bringing the glass to bear, she sliced downward against the door, carving through the tentacles, causing the Beast to roar again. The ends of all three fell uselessly to the floor.

When she opened the door, the monster was gone, and in its place was a man.

A dizzy spell almost caused her to fall, but Kenichi grabbed her in time.

"Why didn't you run away?" she asked, breathing in deep to counter the chi-deprivation she had forced upon her body.

"I'd rather die than leave you to fight alone."

"Then I'll kill you both."

Kenichi and Kimiko looked at the man before them. His arms were covered in blood. His cheek was gouged from the thrown glass. His green scale vest was shattered, the scales on his right side dangling as if sliced in half. On one side of his body, he bled out of the wound she had given him earlier, and out of the other, he bled from three puncture wounds.

_Huh, sliced tentacles translate to something different on a regular person._

Pulling her chi back in, she concentrated, separating the sensations of her body from her mind. She became numb to the pain and the feeling of Kenichi's body up against hers.

Calmly, as if she wasn't in a fight for their lives at all, Kimiko gently pushed Kenichi away from her and walked forward.

"I'm ready for you, Saotome," the man grinned, his eyes alight with a devilish pleasure.

"That's Nishiyama to you," she whispered, and then darted forward.

With every ounce of her energy, she struck him over and over, crushing him with a rapid volley of strikes that landed with more force than she could normally bring to bear. He absorbed most of the damage with his vest and his hands, but she could see by the change in his eyes that he knew he was dying.

"Bakufuuken!" She sent him at the window, her energy exploding forward so much that everything in front of her flew forward, including the bed, the ruins of the dresser, the nightstand and even the window, which shattered as Taro flew through it.

The knowledge of sixteen years of uninterrupted training and fighting filled her, from the lonely year in America to the fifteen she had spent on the road with her father and fighting endless foes who lined up to challenge her. Yet, even then, she drew from somewhere else, from somewhere so deep inside her subconscious that she could not even name it.

Following Taro, leaped through the window after him, hopping off the nightstand in midair as she zipped forward like a lightning bolt. She smashed him with her elbow, causing a fountain of blood to fly from his forehead. His neck snapped back as he flew over the banister of the second-floor motel room, still ascending in height.

Kimiko bounced off the banister and followed him further. At this moment he began to shimmer, his wings leaping out of his back, as the tentacles on one side pulled out. However, his body was still human, reducing his weight as he tried to fly away. She used this to her advantage, grabbing one of his wings as she connected to him and used it to swing up and twist him around.

Just as she delivered another devastating blow, this time a solid kick to his shoulder blades, he lost all of his momentum and began to plummet. Kicking off him, the girl leaped back to the balcony covered in broken glass that she had launched him from. Landing on one knee, Kimiko Nishiyama pushed herself up and turned to face her foe, who crashed face first into the concrete street below just a moment later.

She observed her handiwork, watching as a few people on the street below, most of them in pajamas, gawked at her prey. Her eyes focused on him as her chi coursed through her like adrenalin.

"Holy hell, Kimiko-chan," Kenichi whispered as his footsteps crunched the glass. "That was unreal."

Kimiko barely acknowledged him as she watched her foe for any signs of life. When he hadn't moved after thirty seconds, she turned to face her friend.

And then, all at once, exhaustion and pain hit her, causing her muscles to give. Her knees buckled, and she landed on the shards of glass. She would have fallen face first into them, but Kenichi caught her again, sweeping her up into his arms.

"Easy now," he whispered. "You've overexerted yourself."

She looked up into his eyes, so drained that she could do little but catch her breath. He held her there for a few minutes. The sound of a siren in the distance heralded the authorities, but she could hardly think about that.

"Are you okay?" Kenichi's voice was low so that only she could hear him.

"Yeah, let me down," she said.

"It's all broken glass down there," he told her. "And you're barefoot."

"It didn't cut my feet before," she told him, realizing that her feet were probably the only undamaged part of her.

He lowered her at the edge of the balcony near to where the door to the room stood open. There was less glass there, she realized as she set her feet down. The cold of the wood felt good against her feet, even as she felt hot everywhere else.

Assessing herself critically, Kimiko realized just how badly off she was. Her back, sides and part of her chest were sliced up, her face felt awful, her neck still hurt from being choked, her right hand was cut up from handling the glass, and her left hand had splinters.

"Hah," she laughed. "Splinters."

"Huh?" Kenichi asked, but any further conversation was cut off when they heard a scream on the street below.

The pair of teenagers could only stare as the monster took flight, his wings beating steadily as he hovered in midair.

"No way!" Kenichi said, his eyes bulging. "He really can fly?"

She could barely see the monster as he flew just above the nearest street lamp. Only the moon illuminated his back as he faced them, flying high enough tower over them.

"This is a parting gift from an old friend," the deep voice echoed across street to them.

They had only just realized that the monster had survived when Kimiko's survival instincts saved her. In that next second, she dodged to the side to avoid a projectile, and then caught a small, three-inch-long dart before it hit her directly in the eye. She saw the glint of light as a third one sped directly at Kenichi.

"No!" she shouted as she reached her hand out to catch the last needle, but overshot her attempt. The needle hit her palm, puncturing her skin.

"Haha!" the man cried out, his voice manic. "Now the old master will lose his precious student."

She stared at him dumbly as she yanked the dart out of her hand. "What are you talking about, monster?"

"You'll see," he shouted back. "Hey boy, when the person who values her most comes looking for me, tell him I'll meet him at the last place we met in life."

"What is he talking about?" Kenichi asked her, but Kimiko could only shrug.

The flapping of his wings increased in speed as the man flew to a nearby lamp post, and then rebounded off it towards the moon. As soon as he disappeared out of sight, Kimiko's shoulders slumped and she placed both of her hands on the banister.

"At least he's gone," Kenichi whispered, putting his arm around Kimiko shoulders. She winced, and he pulled his arm off. "Sorry."

"No, that's just where Taro slammed me after I stabbed him," she said, pulling his arm back around her, underneath the bruise. She then leaned her head into his chest as she put her arm around his waist.

"I feel like I've been run over by a truck," she told him as yawned. "And maybe a train, too."

"You look like it, too," Kenichi replied sarcastically. She lightly slapped his chest, and he chuckled, giving her arm a squeeze.

"Uh, so, maybe we should scram so the enforcers don't pin this all on us," he told her, fishing out his cell phone. "Oh hey, it's not broken."

"Call Kiyoshi's cell phone," she told him as she directed him toward the motel room.

"What's the number?" he asked.

"Here, give it to me," she said, taking it from him. She looked at black and white display, but couldn't read anything on it. "You sure it's not broken, Kenichi-kun?"

"Yeah, it was fine," he replied, taking it back. "The home screen shows the time and everything."

Turning her head, she craned her neck to look up at his face. As if the entire world shifted out from under her, she grabbed onto the boy tightly to not fall.

"Whoa!" Kenichi exclaimed, stabilizing her quickly. "What's wrong?"

Looking out at the ground below, she realized that it was her eyesight that was blurred out completely, not his phone. "I don't know." That's when it hit her. "The dart."

"He missed hitting us in the face," Kenichi said as he helped prop her up against the balcony's railing.

"It was poisoned," she said as she grabbed on to the wooden banister. It was taking more strength than she had to hold herself up now. Her mind began to race as beads of sweat began to form on her forehead.

"No," Kenichi said, his voice panicked. "I don't understand. Why would he do this?"

"Why did he do any of the things he did tonight?" she said as her head began to ache. "Whatever it is, it's coming on quickly. I don't think we'll have much time. Call Kiyoshi now." Reciting the number from her mind was just about the most difficult thing. "...seven and... five."

"It's ringing," he told her. "What should I tell him?"

Kimiko tried to respond, but instead collapsed onto the balcony as fell unconscious.

* * *

Staring at his phone, Kiyoshi sat at a green light unable to comprehend the words that Kenichi had told him. Everything had stopped when he heard the words 'poison' and 'fever'.

"Are you there, Nishiyama-san? Sir?"

"What did he say again? Where who last met in life?"

"He said _'we',_ but I'm not sure who he meant by that."

"Thank you, Kenichi. Call your family. Have the take Kimiko to the Tendou house. And call Ono Shampoo. Tell her that he injected Kimiko with a poison from Joketsuzoku. She'll know the one I mean."

"Okay," the boy said. "You're not coming to get her?"

"I can't," the man replied, his eyes damp. "I'll come when I can."

* * *

The location where Taro's life ended would be the same for his mortal enemy. All that remained of the man's old life was the cement foundation of an empty property he still owned. A flourishing neighborhood a decade ago, the land where he had lived with his wife and child now resembled a black eye in the prefecture. Nothing grew where the houses once existed, as if the land itself had been cursed by the atrocities committed there.

Through his eyes, he still could see the modest patio that he would have been standing on, while facing the small, but comfortable two-story structure that had been his home briefly. Five years ago, he might have come here to mourn the loss, but the last of his tears dried long ago and so did the pitiable feeling he had for himself.

He was no longer the youth he had once been. His eyes no longer looked forward to the future, as his head now turned backwards, unable to see beyond that moment so long ago. Everything now hinged on Fate's fickle coin toss. The dichotomy of his outlook made the world easier to understand and the whims of the power a simple matter to discern.

It was a matter of good and evil to Taro. Everything could be explained by the two sides of that one coin. He might have wondered upon which side he now stood if he cared any longer. His reason to live was seeing another person die.

He waited patiently for the end to come. He would die no matter what happened this day. The only thing left undecided was who would be joining him in hell.

* * *

Akane stared at the still form of the redheaded girl that now lay unconscious in her bed. An hour had passed since Ryouga had arrived withher in his arms, and her precious son in tow. The vicious bruises around Kenichi's neck had startled her. Although she had heard about the happenings of the night before from her husband the night before, seeing the damage inflicted upon Kenichi in person had almost been too much to bear.

Her son had been the lucky one, as the physical damage he had suffered was a fraction of the injuries Kimiko had sustained. She was a mess, covered in cuts, bruises, and fractures. The bruise on her shoulder was a black and purple welt, while her face had taken the brunt of it. Her left eye was deeply bruised, and her cheeks were covered in dark splotches. Despite all of that, she had defeated the thing that no one else could, but none of that was the primary concern the thirty-six-year-old mother-of-three.

It was the source of her unconsciousness, and her life threatening fever that had brought Dr. Tofu to her house early in the morning, the moment they had got in touch with him. The doctor could not do anything for her and advised that she be sent to a hospital immediately, and Akane had agreed. Nishiyama Kiyoshi, the boy she had met as a child before he'd disappeared in China with his father, had been the lone voice of dissent. However, as her guardian, his opinion held weight. He seemed to know something that no one else did about the mysterious poison, and insisted that his adopted sister stay at the house until he returned with an antidote.

The pretty young man with long black hair was calm in the face of his sister's peril. There could be no telling whether Taro would even have the cure, but the young man had been resolute. His only instructions before he had left had been to keep her alive, and try to get Shampoo's help. However, after their initial call, Shampoo had not responded for the last hour.

For a second time, Kasumi was treating the girl who seemed to be a magnet for people trying to beat the life out of her. Akane's elder sister had set up an IV drip for the girl, and they tried to keep her fever cool, but short of Kiyoshi returning with the cure to this, Akane feared she would die.

The look of strain on Kimiko's face almost made Akane tear up as she looked at the sick child's sweat-covered face. The toxins steadily poisoned her heart and mind as the girl slept deeply. The towel covering her forehead absorbed copious amounts of sweat, even though an ice pack sat on top of it. Nothing could keep her cool. Her temperature had not yet reached a critical point, but it kept rising.

She examined the child's bruised face, gently brushing her fingers through the girl's bright red hair. Kimiko looked so similar to Ranma's girl form. Twenty years had dimmed her memory dramatically, and she knew that wishes could not change circumstances to be what her heart wanted, but even if the girl looked exactly the same, she knew that this wasn't her Ranma. The boy that had stolen her heart, the boy whose heart she had broken, had disappeared so long ago and would not be the same person even if he returned.

_I don't blame him for leaving, but why did he have to stay away?_ Akane thought not for the first time. She squinted her eyes to prevent her eyes them from tearing up, but the attempt failed. _If Ranma had forgiven me, she'd be mine._ Akane touched the top of Kimiko's palm, tracing the lines on her hand. _She should be mine._

* * *

Mayako turned her head and looked carefully over at the sick, sleeping girl on the bed behind her mother. Her red hair lay splashed out against the green of her mother's pillowcase. The mesh of colors had a hypnotic quality that irritated Mayako's eyes.

She focused on the girl's face, and wondered. Kimiko's hair always threw Mayako off. She spoke perfect Japanese and looked mostly Japanese, but had bright red hair like a foreigner. It was so distracting she never really paid attention to the girl's face.

"But I thought she was Grandfather Soun's old friend's daughter," Mayako protested. "You barely know her."

Akane shook her head and sat further back on the bed towards the sleeping girl. "She was adopted by him."

Mayako shrugged. She had a sneaking suspicion she was about to be surprised. She took her mother's left hand with hers and sat down beside her on the bed. Her mother's hand trembled as she looked down at the girl.

"When I was your age, my father promised me to Saotome-san's son." The trembling stop as Akane kept telling her story. "Well, not me in particular at first, but one of his daughters. I just happened to fit the bill when Genma brought his son, Ranma."

Mayako stared at her mother, her eyes wide. She had never heard this story before. She had known that Genma and Soun wanted a marriage between the two families before now, but she never knew that Genma had older son. It made a strange sort of sense in her own predicament.

"Ranma was my fiancé for two years before he disappeared. We were going to be married a week before he vanished, and I haven't seen him since."

The words soaked into Mayako's head as she held her mother's hand tightly. It was a lot to take in all at once. Her mother was supposed to be married to a Saotome. She wondered where that left her father.

"I'm almost certain this is Ranma's daughter," Akane told her daughter. "I almost thought that she was him when I first met the girl last week. They look so much alike, I could hardly believe my eyes."

Furrowing her brows, Mayako had to ask, "How girly was Ranma-san, if Kimiko-chan looked like him?"

Her mother breathed out a laugh that didn't replace the sadness on her face. "He was Jusenkyo-cursed to turn into a girl. But that's beside the point. The reason I didn't tell you is because this is a really sore subject for both of the families."

"But that would make her..." Mayako began, drowning out when she realized who was lying in the bed.

"A Saotome," Akane finished for her daughter.

"She's family," Mayako whispered, her eyes brimming with tears. She barely realized how much this information hurt her. "I thought she was just some girl, and I was so glad that it was her and not Niichan that was hurt so bad." She gritted her teeth to hold the sobs at bay.

"Oh, Mayako-chan," her mother whispered as she enveloped her daughter with her warm arms. Mayako felt slightly relieved in her mother's bosom and released her tears.

"Why did this happen to us?" Mayako managed to say between sobs, pouring out all of the stress that had built up over the last few nights.

"I don't know, love," Akane said softly. "But we have to be strong for her. If she's going to pull out of this, she's going to need all of our love and support."

* * *

After opening the door of his rented sedan, Kiyoshi stepped out onto the asphalt of the street a block away from the destination that had been delivered to him a few hours before. To anyone outside, it was a ransom, in this case the antidote to the poison the releasing of the prisoner; but to Kiyoshi it was anything but. In this case, the Jusenkyo-forged monster Taro had demanded nothing in return.

The smell of moisture in the air that precipitated rain met his nose as he closed his car door and adjusted his sunglasses. The neighborhood he had entered was one he vaguely recalled news stories matriculating about years before. A great fire had consumed most of the houses in the suburban cluster of homes. Several families had died in the sudden blaze, but most only lost their houses.

He saw nothing as he walked through the scarred neighborhood, which had been left in ruins years before. Some of the residents in the neighborhood had rebuilt their homes, but the majority had left, as the area seemed cursed never to recover. It still smelled of burning ash, although the fires had been extinguished two decades ago.

Beneath his sunglasses, his eyes focused on the empty lot that seemed remarkable to his memory. The only parts that remained were of that shriveled man fighting the beast-like Taro, and even that was more like seeing a negative of someone else's picture. The echoes of that moment in time gave him the feeling of déjà vu as he walked across the street to the empty lot of the house where his opponent, and the ransomer of his sister's life, stood.

The middle-aged man standing in the center of the lot made no move as Kiyoshi approached him. He wore brown slacks and a matching brown trench coat with a white dress shirt underneath. This was the first time Kiyoshi saw the boy he'd created from an urchin and cursed water. He wondered how he had come to be the man he was today.

The man watched his entrance onto the property with little regard, as if he expected nothing less than Kiyoshi Nishiyama to appear, as if he had known the entire time exactly who he was.

"You're late," Pantyhose Taro, the closest thing that the shriveled old man had to a nemesis, told Kiyoshi as the much younger man stopped twenty paces ahead of him. "The girl of yours is going to die, and you take your sweet time getting here."

"Give me the antidote," Kiyoshi replied curtly, holding back everything, enveloping himself in his calmness. Where Kimiko was a novice of the Blast Fist, Kiyoshi was the master. _I will level this entire neighborhood if it means saving her_.

"You being here means one of two things," Taro said, ignoring his opponent completely. "You either are conspiring with Happosai, or you are Happosai."

Kiyoshi did not respond, remaining still, and invoking more of his chi energy. He would not risk the antidote to a street fight, but he needed to be careful in case the man tried anything.

Close enough to see the man, Kiyoshi's jaw dropped open. Taro looked absolutely filthy, covered in dirt from head to toe. His armor had been severed in half at the front, and he had large bloodstains covering most of his body.

"So are you're saying you are Happosai?" Taro said with a smile. "I'd say I've been waiting so long for this moment, but I don't think Jusenkyo could change anyone _this _much."

"Just give me the antidote, Taro," Kiyoshi told the man. "You look like someone all but killed you. Give it to me and I'll spare you."

Cackling like a madman, Taro raised his hand to his forehead, exposing dozens of cuts and bruises all over his forearms, as if he'd run his arms through a cheese shredder.

"That would be that lovely little thing that I had dead to rights moments before she revealed her ugly femboy head." The older man continued laughing. "Yet, I got her good at the end. Enough to draw you out."

Kiyoshi drew closer, examining the man for places he might have hidden the antidote. _It's gotta be in his coat. _"Well, you did and I'm here. So name your price, and let's be done with the charade. I am leaving with the antidote, or you are going to die."

"So you think. Tell me, _boy_," Taro said calmly. "Tell me why I shouldn't destroy it right now." He reached into his trench coat and produced a small jar filled with a clear liquid.

"This has everything to do with the two of us, not the girl you poisoned." Kiyoshi stared nervously at the vial. With it in Taro's hand like that, he could not attack without breaking the thing. All he needed was a split second with the vial back in his coat pocket and Kiyoshi could render the beast unconscious.

"Maybe," Taro said wistfully. "But this is how I hurt you, like the little old bastard hurt me. I don't even really care if you're him or not at this point. I just want someone to feel the agony I endured when my unborn child and my wife burned."

"You were married?" Kiyoshi asked, his mind reeling from the news. "Since when?"

"Since when?" Taro parroted. "Since that treacherous old bastard murdered them! You should know that. Everyone knows what he did. Why do you think the pig tried to kill him? Why do you think I am getting revenge for their deaths, and that of everyone who died in the neighborhood?"

Loosing all of his chi, Kiyoshi stared stunned, unable to process the information. "You mean to say, Happosai killed them? He burned down this neighborhood?"

The wounded man laughed out loud so hard, he began to cough up blood. "I'm not surviving this morning, boy. And neither will your little femboy girlfriend." He held up the cure to Kimiko's poisoning, waving it around. "You think this will save her? Come and get it."

"Wait," Kiyoshi said, raising his hand. "I can get you help. You needn't die, and it would be pointless to murder her as well."

_I don't remember hurting his family,_ Kiyoshi thought, staring at the ruins with new eyes. _I remember the news, not the actual events. I was..._He had a very clear memory of watching it on the news, as a child.

"I've been dead since that night fifteen years ago, boy," Taro said, dropping to his knees. "I've been dead since Happosai condemned me to hell with explosive bombs and was declared a terrorist by the country of Japan. The only thing keeping my body from falling into a pile dust has always been the chance for revenge. I searched China, Korea, Thailand, but nowhere had anyone seen the filthy bastard. So I started looking for others who might know him, but no one had any idea where he was, not since he'd returned to Japan over a decade ago."

"Wait, you say return to Japan? What do you mean?"

Taro stared at the antidote vial and coughed blood into his empty hand. He stared down at both of them. "He vanished for some five years right after Ranma did. We all thought he went to bring Ranma back, but he came back different. He talked to himself, got kicked out of the Tendou house. Started doing bad things to the point we confronted him. I joined in, just because getting a chance to kick Happosai's ass was always a good thing."

Shaking his head, he stared at Kiyoshi, his eyes hollow. "He retaliated against all of us, but I was the only one without friends to help defend me. He killed my family in that fire, by accident maybe, but he didn't care when the first building went up into flames, or the fourth, or the neighborhood."

Falling back at the weight of Taro's words, Kiyoshi could do nothing but imagine the horror. "I don't understand. I didn't do any of that. At least, I don't remember it. I wouldn't... I couldn't..."

Taro's head and eyes focused forward directly at Kiyoshi, this time with rage burning in his glare. "What do you mean, you? You're not Happosai."

"I am," he said. "Just as the redhead girl that defeated you before is Saotome Ranma."

"While she may be Ranma, with how goddamn freaking good she is, but you?" Taro stood, his body obviously only alive by sheer will alone. "Tell me, then, _Happosai_. How did you know to come here?"

"I followed reports of a flying monster, calling in every favor I possibly could to figure out your riddle until I found you owned property here."

"You didn't follow my clue?" Taro said, squinting his eyes. "This is the last place I saw Happosai."

"_Last place we met alive_?That doesn't even make sense. I came here because it looked familiar, but just because I saw it on the news," he said, thinking hard. "But I know I'm Happosai. I remember things only he could know. I remember you from before, and Ranma, and everyone. I remember founding the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts, for goodness sake."

Taro flicked the vial of liquid up into the air, and caught it. Kiyoshi's heart raced, even has his mind drew a blank.

"Have you been to Jusenkyo lately?" Taro asked, his voice suspicious.

"Yes," he said, though this had always been the weakest link of his memory. He vaguely remembered falling in, but after that he could recall nothing until he was in Japan and the spirit of the warrior appeared before him.

A whooping laugh exploded out of Taro's mouth, so violently that he grabbed his chest in agony afterwards.

"What?" Kiyoshi demanded, pushing back to his feet.

"Let me guess," Taro said as he rose and two dark wings sprouted from his back. "You don't remember much of the incident, and you're now hearing voices or some garbage like that?"

All of the blood in Kiyoshi felt as if it dropped into his stomach.

"By the look on your face, I'll take that as a yes," the monster said as his body continued shifting. His voice changed as his head was enveloped by the bull head. "Jusenkyo's been really messed up since Ranma destroyed the mountain and flooded the valley. I tried to add wolverine claws in the spring of the drowned wolverine, but the damn thing had no curse left in it. The damn pool tried to drown me. Ryouga claims he cured himself, but he's more of a raging lunatic than I am. Bastard has been hearing voices for years now. I've followed him long enough to realize we're more alike than he wants to admit."

_I've let him distract me from my goal long enough, _he thought, staring at the vial. "What does this have to do with me?" _Just keep his attention on yapping and not guarding the only reason I haven't kil__led him yet._

"Everything? Nothing? Who are you anyway? Aside from no Happosai."

"Kiyoshi Nishiyama," he replied, inching closer.

"Really?" the monster replied, as his human right hand, the last part of him that had yet to transform, twirled the antidote. "I met your father before he took you and your mother to China."

_My father? Impossible._ "Alright, so tell me about him, then, since you seem to know about everything."

Taro's hand shifted to that of the yeti-bull monster, crushing the vial in his hands.

"What?!" Kiyoshi screamed, taking a step forward. "Why the hell did you do that?"

The monster looked bored, his eyes rolling. "It was just water anyway. I never got an antidote. I stole those poisoned darts from the Musk Dynasty soldiers when I was back in China. I just wanted to build up your hope, so just when you thought you had a chance, I could crush it."

With no reason left to hold back, Nishiyama Kiyoshi launched himself at the Beast.

* * *

Notes: Only one more chapter left. This took me almost two weeks of writing nights to complete. Sorry for the cliffhanger. My draft had a lot more in it, but I didn't have time to write more within my self-imposed time limit. That's not to say I'm cutting any content. I'm merely delaying it for the last chapter. One more chapter, and then we get to the epilogue, which will take place in China.

The next chapter might take a bit longer as well, as I'm writing two stories concurrently now. Please bear with me. I won't disappoint you.

Until then.


	15. Part Three: Sayonara (8 of 8)

**Misery Loves Company****  
**A Ranma ½ Fanfiction  
by Ryan Erik

Part Three: Sayonara  
(8/8)

An unusual liveliness permeated the Saotome household. For a family that traditionally spent as little time in the house as possible, the fact that all four members of the clan were currently there created a strange atmosphere. Rintaro's mother was cooking breakfast in the kitchen, while his father talked with his little brother. The eldest Saotome child sat cross-legged silently at the head of the table, his eyes closed.

As far back as the eighteen-year-old could remember, no one in his family had cared to stay at the house, to the point that they were rarely together unless decorum or ceremony called for it. Genma had spent most of his time at the Tendou home, playing shoji with his old friend, eating too much food, and otherwise making a nuisance of himself. Nodoka had taken solace in the classes she taught in flower arrangement and cooking at the local adults' school. Shintaro had been a resident at his friend's house, as their family had money and could spend a fortune on electronic entertainment. Rintaro had made it his mission to explore as much of the city as possible, or visit anyone who would have him, so as to spend as little time in this place as possible, often training at the Tendou Dojo, or visiting Shampoo and her kids at Ucchan's Okonomiyaki.

It had taken a monster to somehow reunite the injured family unit. Rintaro had held no hopes for such a thing after fighting the monster and surviving. The night before, the young man had walked home alone in the dark. He had been too fatigued to chase the flying monster after the strangulation he'd received at the ends of its tentacles. By the time he had recovered, only he remained outside his former school. The long trek home had taken nearly three hours by foot, and his shoulders drooped. He'd had no idea what was waiting for him.

Rintaro had arrived late in the evening to find his mother in tears. Taro had attacked her the day before, which had somehow changed everything. Genma had not left the household for twenty-four hours, nor had his brother excused himself to go to see his friends. All three of them rushed to him when he had opened the door, after he'd announced himself and kicked off his shoes. It had been a long time since anyone even cared.

When his mother had launched herself into his arms, he had hugged her cautiously as she had cried into his chest. The composed, ambivalent woman had rarely shown much more than a smile or a scorned look for him since he was in primary school. His father too had patted him on the back, and Shintaro hesitantly approached him as well, hugging both his mother and his elder brother.

"I thought he had killed you!" his mother had exclaimed, her breath shallow as she had sobbed. "I couldn't believe that I could possibly lose two sons in this life. I couldn't bear it."

The first time she had ever acknowledged his older brother Ranma felt dizzying to him. It hadn't taken long for him to find his way to his bed and pass out on top of the covers, fully clothed.

Now that it was morning as he sat at the table watching his mother cook, Rintaro said nothing. Her bruised face was hard to look at, but she was alive and healthy. He could hardly ask for more, considering the shape that Soun Tendou was in. The look of happiness on her face was something he could not have expected days ago.

"Mother, father, brother," he said formerly, placing his fists on the ground from his kneeling position at the table.

His family looked at him then, and saw something that they must not have expected.

"I have shamed our ancestors with my behavior," he began, bowing his head until his hair hung in his face. "I don't ask for your forgiveness right now, because I don't deserve it. I plan to leave here for a while until I can prove to myself that I am worthy of it, to be worthy of my long-lost elder brother's legacy."

A sudden gasped breath from his mother caused him to look up between his black bangs. She had approached him and was now standing inches away.

"Son, you don't have to leave," she said, placing her hand on his head. "I don't want you to leave."

"I have to, mother," he said firmly, placing his hand over his mother's hand. He lifted his head and stood, causing her to pull her arm away as he looked down at her. "I can't return until I prove myself a man amongst men. I can't return until I prove to Mayako Tendou that I am worthy of her love."

Genma, now on his feet, approached him and patted his shoulder. "The first wise thing I've heard you say."

Rintaro regarded his father as warmly as he could, but couldn't feel the same for the man who had abused him in the name of training for so long.

_One step at a time. I have to be able to forgive myself before I can forgive him._

"Bye, kid," he told his little brother, who just nodded.

_Maybe someday you can forgive me, too,_ he thought, nodding back.

Leaving at that moment, and walking down the street away from his home for perhaps the last time was so much easier than it had been to come to the decision to leave this morning after awaking to the morning sunlight. He felt free of everything that had made him hate this town, his family, and himself. He felt light and the future suddenly looked brighter than it had ever looked before.

Despite his mood, the weather had turned dark. The unusual cold front seemed to have returned as he looked up to see dark clouds rumbling above. He quickly reached for his umbrella and held it ready for the inevitable rainstorm that would ruin someone's day, but not his.

There was only one thing that posed a problem to his leaving, and that would be his second destination on his trip before he left town. The first would be for breakfast, as he'd left well before eating his mother's food. That was a small mistake, but the moment had felt right and he couldn't help but deliver his news immediately before he lost his resolve. With that problem out of the way, and his hunger relatively easy to solve by taking a pit-stop at _Okonomiyaki Ucchan's_, he had to figure out what to do about Mayako.

The girl had taken a beating the day before, and he also needed to check up on her twin and the redhead since having fought together made them more or less allies at the time.

_I really hope she __doesn't make good on her threats from last night,_ he thought. He had mixed feelings about the little redheaded girl from the US and her unnaturally good martial arts abilities. She fought as if she had done nothing but fight for the past twelve years of her life. While Rintaro tried, he had to go to school for many years, and then spend time finding places to train. Her skill was like that of monks who could make their chi almost tangible, it was so strong.

_I could feel her energy last night,_ he thought, shivering at the memory. _It was so powerful._

The trip across town to _Ucchan's_ on foot took about an hour, while the trip to Furinkan and the Tendou Dojo took around two and change. He never understood why his family insisted he attend Furinkan High School, even though it was so far away. He could have just as easily attended the local high school and still remain friends with the Tendous and Onos, but the extra traveling between his house and the school limited his time to spend with the others outside of school.

With what little he had, he realized now that he had wasted even that hating his father. That rage he had felt had seeped into every part of his life, until he rejected everyone just as sure as his father had rejected him for not being Ranma. No one could live up to the rose-colored memories of a perfect child.

_Ranma, why did you leave? _he asked, needing that answer more than ever. _I'll find you and get that answer, even if it takes my entire life, even if I have to circle the earth twice, only to end u__p at his empty grave. I'll find redemption in that act, or I'll die trying._

He took a deep breath of musty air, the smell of rain heavy on the wind. Casting a glance up, he opened his umbrella, and scant moments later, droplets began to fall like a fine mist. He shivered as a sudden cold breeze rushed around him, shielded by the umbrella. He realized then that despite his freedom, he could never escape his past.

He had hours to reflect on his decisions and the people who helped shape them. Competing with Ranma had proven impossible, even after isolating himself in order to become a perfect fighter. However, in improving his skill, he had alienated his friends and family. Fighting for sport or money had proven to create more enemies than cash in his pocket, as well. He had recovered from that downward spiral only thanks to the help of two people.

Mayako, his primary savior, had used love and the promise of friendship to bring him around. It had been several years since his friends had even talked to him at any length, mostly because he had shut them out for so long. Even when they had been on talking terms, he had been aloof from them, keeping to himself during training, which had taken up the majority of his free time even then. The eldest Tendou sibling had proven herself fearless.

He was just a half-year too old to share a school with her, but even when she had been in junior high, she had tracked him down after school and spent as much time as she could with him until they had to part. And when he would train at her family's dojo, she was always there, waiting to practice with him.

_Why the hell did I break up with her_,_ anyway?_ he asked himself not for the first time, remembering his actions last winter that had made him pull away from even her. Yet, somehow, even after that, she had wedged the door to his heart open, even after his awful behavior over the last few days.

When he was about ten blocks from _Okonomiyaki Ucchan's_, he thought of the other person who had never given up on him. The woman who he fondly considered an aunt, despite their lack of blood relation, treated him like a son when he arrived. He had worked there during vacations and summer, and had spent a lot of time with her over the years, probably more than with his mother, after he had started junior high.

Shampoo had never expected anything from him, and had provided him a safe place to go over the years. She had always accepted him, welcoming him to her home or the restaurant she managed regardless of his actions that day. In return, he trusted her more than anyone else. In his short life, he thought of her as family more so than anyone.

He arrived at one of the large streets he had to walk on to cross a bridge less than a mile from his current position. This was the crossroads that he would have to return to in order to reach the Tendou Dojo. The street wasn't busy, and only a few cars drove by, but the puddles in the street would make it difficult to not get soaked on his way.

After only a single step onto the sidewalk along the street, he spotted a car coming straight for the large pool of water in the gutter. Rintaro dodged into the alley, hiding in the gap between two apartment buildings. Water splashed across the sidewalk, but fell short of his position by a few feet.

He pushed forward down the street, getting wetter as the wind began to fluctuate faster than he could adjust his umbrella. A sudden gust of wind from the direction of Ucchan's caught him directly in the face with a blast of cold mist and rain.

"Gah," he coughed, placing his umbrella in front of him as he ducked into small alley between a convenience store and a musical instrument shop. He sputtered for a moment as he wiped at his eyes, when he heard what sounded like a screech and howl, one right after the other.

As his eyesight cleared, he saw that the alley cut down the street and turned behind the convenience store. His curiosity piqued, Rintaro walked down the relatively dry alley past some overturned trash cans, the contents of which had been knocked all over the place by the wind. As he neared the crook in the alley, he noticed a tuft of white hair.

He bent over and picked it up when he heard another screech, this time closer, the sound rebounding off the slick stone walls of the buildings on either side of the alleyway. Continuing his walk to the back of the alley, he realized that the hair wasn't actually white, but a light lavender color.

The turn in the ally revealed the backs of two stray dogs barking at a large_**,**_ green garbage bin.

_Lavender fur? _he wondered, his eyes darting to the conflict ahead of him.

* * *

A cold, rainy wind blew across Kiyoshi as he fought the Beast, his every motion a blur as he pummeled his opponent in the open parking lot behind the ruins of Taro's home. Despite his attack and the previously sustained injuries on the creature's arms, he caused little damage, as the thick fur and hardened muscles of the monster's physique were much denser than a normal human body.

Kiyoshi had sustained an attack for several minutes, attempting to keep the creature on the defense, but he needed the fight to end quickly if he wanted a chance to see his sister one last time before the poison took her life. The thought of Kimiko dying at the Tendou household sent a wave of anger down his body, and he pushed in, kicking downward at the Beast's right leg in a vicious sidekick. His leg snapped down at the monster's thigh, but it blocked with its oversized foot. The weight of the attack did not push the Beast back either, as it held its ground.

The monster then snapped its head forward, trying to ram him with its horns. Kiyoshi dodged to the left, and then tumbled away as its follow up attack was a punch at his gut. As he rolled away, he felt a sting on his right arm and a tug as one of the tentacles on the monster's right side had snagged his arm. Dropping, he slipped out of the grab, and recovered away from his opponent.

Stamping its foot, the monster Taro charged Kiyoshi, giving him time to consider his counterattack. The tentacles on its right side writhed in anticipation of stinging him again, ready to shoot out at the sign of his guard dropping. He had found out quickly that the tentacles had stingers on the end of each that the Beast could retract, and contained some kind of burning agent that caused skin to burn and clothes to melt away. After evading the monster's first few attacks, he sustained a fairly nasty sting from all three of the tentacles, causing skin damage along his right bicep. He had to rip off his sleeve, it had been so damaged.

Diving to the right, Kiyoshi moved in the nick of time, causing the Beast to be unable to react to his movement, striking the wounded tentacles on the side. The monster roared in response, sliding to a halt, and then quickly turning around to swing at him. It telegraphed its attack, pulling back its arm to backhand him. Kiyoshi ducked under that attack, only to find the monster had used it as a distraction to get his tentacles around his leg.

Kiyoshi tried to escape the grapple, but was caught by all three, which latched on tightly. He gritted his teeth as the stingers burned a hole in his pants leg right above his calf. The sudden pull at his leg caused his defensive maneuver to completely fail, pulling him back towards the monster.

The cement parking lot was slick, so as it dragged him back, he couldn't resist being pulled along with the monster until he crossed the wheel stop at the edge of the lot. He grabbed onto it and tugged his leg back. The singers detached from his leg as he did, pulling the tentacles back as the monster kept walking away from him. He sighed in relief as the burning sting on his leg ceased.

He rose up and spun around to find that the Beast had suddenly given up on him, as it took a few running steps and stopped. It bent over and lifted a loose pipe from the ground where some construction had been abandoned. The monster held it up with both of its giant fists, as it was a hefty piece of metal at about six feet in length. The weight of the weapon alone could kill even without the Beast's enhanced strength.

Kiyoshi rolled his eyes back as he touched his calf, feeling the wounds left by the monster's distracting attack. He pushed the thoughts of the pain aside, mitigating it with concentration. He focused on the enemy's weapon, its range and its imbalance as a weapon. Even if he could swing it, there would be considerable time to dodge the attacks.

_I'll have to move in close or find a new place to fight if I want to have a chance against him._

He looked around and saw a fence off to the side, behind the Beast. If he could get there without taking a hit, he could use the fence to reduce the effectiveness of its weapon.

_I wish I had my family's sword,_ he thought as he looked around for something to distract the monster. A handful of scorched bricks at the edge of one of the burnt houses looked promising. He ran to the bricks and collected two of them.

"You running away, _sensei?_" The sneer came out of the monster's mouth, but sounded like a voice distorted by a roar. "I'll catch you and crush you."

Kiyoshi turned around to see the monster had crossed half the space and was approaching him.

"Shut up, _bakemono!_" Kiyoshi yelled, right before beginning to charge the monster.

"Oh ho!" it said with its distorted, monstrous voice. It cocked its arms back as though it was playing baseball.

_Let __me give you something to swing at, then! _Kiyoshi thought as he launched a brick at the monster's head mid-run. _Here it comes!_

"Homerun!" the monster yelled as it swung the pipe around with such force that Kiyoshi could feel the displacement of the air. The pipe collided with the brick, shattering into a hundred tiny fragments just as Kiyoshi fell to his knees and slid underneath the monster's high swing. The air pressure alone of the swing stung his face as he watched it above him. The fragments of the brick bounced off both of them as Kiyoshi cleared the danger zone.

He then sprinted directly for the fenced-off area where a construction crew had set up and then abandoned a work site. The slick ground provided some difficulty keeping his footing, but he maintained his pace without slowing for balance, as the monster would not be far behind him. Just as he reached the fence, he felt the pressure again, realizing that he was not as fast as he thought.

Jumping over the pipe at the last possible moment, he leaped up onto the fence just as the Beast swung the pipe under him. Kiyoshi rebounded off the top of the fence pole, and then threw the second brick directly at the Beast's bullhead.

It shifted its head, causing the brick to rebound off its neck, not before leaving a bloody mark. The monster stumbled back, growling deeply in its chest as it regained its balance. Kiyoshi jumped off the fence and landed on its head with his feet, stomping his head.

"Graaaaah!" the Beast yelled, removing one of its hands from the pipe in order to swing at Kiyoshi. However, he had anticipated its counterattack, jumping to the monster's left side. He landed and quickly attacked the monster's wrist with a quick pressure point strike, causing it to lose its grip on the weapon. That did not stop its next counterattack, however.

Kiyoshi had to retreat to the monster's front as the tentacles came from around his other side, swiping at him. Ready for them, he caught the closest one by it end and used its length to deflect the other two. Squeezing the end, he caused the stinger to appear. He then jabbed it into the monster's back. It burnt a patch in its fur, causing the Beast to recall all three of its tentacles.

Tumbling away, Kiyoshi anticipated the monster's turn and head-butt, dodging it easily.

_Focus, control your chi,_ he thought, trying to bring the clarity he would need to manifest his chi. He leaped back to the fence and took a deep breath. Reining in his anger, Kiyoshi began to focus his life force as he had taught Kimiko to do in her year-long training period under him in America. Overcoming strength meant using the Beast's own weight and size against it.

He felt his chi vibrating around him, gaining strength and density. It took more effort to focus than he was used to showing for simple chi manipulation. He recalled that his old body had a much easier time of it. Drawing chi had been like breathing, where now he had to visualize it around him and focus his mind until he could control it.

"You taught Fem-boy that chi technique," Taro said, his eyes flashing with anger. His words were slow, as the monster seemed to have difficulty speaking with his beast tongue. He had recovered the pipe, though his grip was more tenuous. The pressure point would cause him spasms for a while.

"I taught her more than that, _Pantyhose Taro_," Kiyoshi replied, ready to crush his opponent.

The monster roared, and then charged, swinging the pipe in a wide arc as he got close enough. Although this attack left him open, Kiyoshi would be dangerously close without enough chi to do enough damage to the monster if he engaged, so he dodged along the fence. The pipe attack missed the fence by inches, and him by less, crashing through the space he had occupied a split second ago.

Ignoring his failure, the beast wound up again and swung, the pipe cutting directly through the fence as if he swung a blade instead of a pipe. The fence doubled over along the closest sections.

Jumping back onto the fence along a section that was still somewhat sturdy, Kiyoshi observed the monster. While it did appear more or less injured, and slightly sluggish in some of its attacks, it hardly mattered, for if a single strike connected, it would cause massive damage. Considering how open the terrain was, the Beast could also take flight and use the air to swoop down at him with the pipe. He decided he had to disarm the monster once and for all before this became an issue.

The Beast furiously roared, rushing at him again. Kiyoshi waited until it leveled its longer ranged tentacles at him and jumped, grabbing onto it as he leaped over the Beast. Pulling around back of the Beast tied up the uninjured tentacles on the beast's right side. The move gave him an opening, and he shot his arm out, striking the uninjured hand holding the pipe with a full blast of his chi.

The attack sent the pipe flying across the parking lot into the street far away. The effect was much more localized for the Beast, who spun the other way and had to catch itself from falling. It recovered quickly, but he had achieved the desired result.

Kiyoshi grinned as he rolled out of the way of the incoming counterattack the Beast made with the back of its fist. Unfortunately, he had mistimed the backhand strike, which grazed Kiyoshi's shoulder as he haphazardly rolled to his feet. The shock of the wound stunned him a half-second longer than he should have remained in the spot. Tentacles reached out, stinging his arm again before he could leap back out of the Beast's reach.

The strange sting felt more painful than the last. He looked down at his arm and realized that the stinger graze had struck the same place as last time, leaving the gash burned and marred. That did not bother him so much as the pain that flooded him.

In such an open space, Kiyoshi was at a serious disadvantage. If they were in a tighter, more confined location or if he had his katana, he could take the creature down relatively quickly. However, he had not expected to need the blade and had left it in the trunk of his car.

Earlier, he had attempted to reach his car, but the Beast had anticipated something like that and crushed it under his heel. Now Kiyoshi would have to pry the trunk open against the twisted metal of yet another destroyed rental vehicle.

He could pry the trunk open, but it would take extra time that he did not have. The relatively younger man decided he would have to rely on his chi attack, but it was hard to calm his body when the only person he loved in the world would likely not survive the day.

The Beast shouted something that sounded like a taunt, but its voice was so heavily distorted that it was unintelligible. It had lured him into a sense of superiority before, and he had let his guard down. He could not let it happen again. If Kimiko was to die today, he would not let her die alone. Burying the thing on the grounds of his family's demise seemed fitting, even if he still doubted Taro's story.

The Beast roared as it barreled forward, threatening to stampede Kiyoshi as he passively defended. At the last moment, Kiyoshi hopped back, dodging the monster's horns, but kept close enough to drive the palm of his hand into the beast's body. He purposefully directed his chi in both directions as he palm-struck the monster in the shoulder.

The resulting energy knocked them both flying. Kiyoshi, having been ready for the collision, braced himself as he sailed through the remains of Taro's house towards the street. He had been completely thrown across the street from the empty lot, crashing into the tangles of the fence. Kiyoshi took control over his tumble, and then used the momentum to catapult himself into a run.

Kiyoshi sprinted to the crushed remains of his vehicle that Taro had crushed shortly after the rain had transformed him into the monster. It had swooped down and crushed it without even a second thought, causing the roof and trunk to cave in. A large footprint caused the trunk to be totally inaccessible, but he had to get into it to retrieve his blade. However, his crowbar was in his trunk as well, leaving him with few options.

Kiyoshi closed his eyes and did the next best thing. He put all of his remaining chi into his finger and used his Blast Fist, pressing it at an upward angle in between the trunk's lid and the metal attached to the car itself. To his amazement, the car's back end lifted into the air as the trunk went flying off its hinge like a projectile into the sky.

Just as the car reached the zenith of its in its trunk-over-hood arc, the Beast lashed out with a surprise aerial attack, its immense black wings carrying it downward like a hawk diving for prey. Kiyoshi barely dodged as both the Beast and the car fell to the street. The car screeched as it landed completely upside down, its damaged frame scraping against the asphalt.

Kiyoshi rolled to the side as the Beast followed up his strike with a tentacle attack that stung Kiyoshi's ankle as he barely dodged the worst of the attack. The pain was minimal as the blood rushed to his feet for a quick sprint.

He heard another roar as he ran to the other side of the car, but the Beast anticipated this and jumped, landing on the lopsided vehicle, sending the other end up in the air like a seesaw. Out of the corner of his eye, Kiyoshi saw the box containing his weapons fall out of the trunk, dislodged from its hiding spot by the monster's immense weight.

Growling, the Beast as swung downward at him with its giant fists. Kiyoshi dodged the attack, countering with a Blast Fist to the Beast's right wrist. The counter knocked the Beast's arms to the side, exposing one good tentacle-laden side as Kiyoshi followed it with a series of chi-enhanced pressure point strikes, digging into the base of each of the tentacles on that side.

The Beast roared, this time in pain, as it leaped off the vehicle and onto the sidewalk. The car's back end lifted up significantly as the Beast's weight no longer held it down. It left Kiyoshi with just enough time to slide his hand under the vehicle and retrieve the long, relatively unscathed box from the car.

Kiyoshi rolled backwards as the car once more fell downward, the Beast's body once more landing on top of it. It clipped him, knocking the wooden box out of his hand as he tumbled out of the way. He cried out as he rolled to his feet. He looked down at his red right hand, crushed between the box and the car. He surmised his fingers were probably broken in the attack, but the amount of adrenalin coursing through his veins made him feel little.

"You take my weapons," the Beast said carefully as it lifted the box with its good left tentacles. "I take yours." It proceeded to crush the box with its huge paws.

Kiyoshi smiled and performed a maneuver he would have never attempted without the urgency the situation demanded, as he was already taxing his body relatively hard. Experiencing the event in slow motion, all of his rational thought was falling away as he acted purely on instinct and his training. He launched himself forward at his maximum speed, utilizing the fact that the monster held his blade with the hilt facing away from him.

His speed preventing any sort of maneuvers or attacks, but he had just enough to grab his katana by the blade's hilt as he passed by the monster, who swung at him too late. The Beast looked down at what remained in its giant mitt-like hands, which still held the weapon's sheath. However, the blade no longer remained in the lacquer casing.

Back about twenty feet behind the Beast, Kiyoshi held the blade in his left hand, extended behind him. The technique had sent him straight from his position across the street in a split second. Kiyoshi nearly collapsed under the pressure of his maneuver. His whole body felt exhausted, beyond what he expected from earlier attempts. Trying to press the advantage, he managed to right himself as he turned his body to face his opponent.

The Beast must have caught on at the same time Kiyoshi turned, for he roared, throwing down the remains of the box and turning to continue its attack, heedless of Kiyoshi's acquisition.

Bringing the blade to bear, Kiyoshi's chances fluctuated between better and worse as he was only able to defend himself from the Beast's attack as he tried to gain a second wind.

"Die!" hissed the Beast as he crashed into Kiyoshi, warding off the blade and striking him in the shoulder with a fist.

The punch sent Kiyoshi flying. He barely managed to control his momentum and roll with his blade as he hit the wall in the back of Taro's empty lot. He felt the stone wall that separated the empty lot and the neighbor's houses collapse as he crashed into it with the force of a bulldozer. Splintering pain ripped through his left arm as he fell to the dirt. He coughed liquid out of his lungs. The sickly salty flavor of blood tickled his tongue as he regained his senses.

The Beast wasted no time to follow up his attack, giving Kiyoshi two seconds from the time he looked up and saw the creature before he had to dodge, but he was in no condition to evade this one. As the monster leveled its head, pointing its long horns directly at him, he knew he had to hold nothing back in this attack, or he would die.

Kiyoshi held the sword with the pommel pressed into his bad hand, and held the grip tightly with the other, ready to drive a hole in the monster's heart with half a chance. Just as the Beast charged in, Kiyoshi pressed himself upwards at it, propelling himself over sideways just enough to dodge the horns, and putting his blade in the exact location he would need to kill the monster.

The Beast pushed its hand out to deflect the sword strike, sending it down and away from its heart, Kiyoshi's intended target, but instead caused it to stick directly through the monster's left rib. The blade sank in all the way to the hilt as they collided. Despite likely winning the war, he had sacrificed his body with the attack as the monster crashed into him.

The force of the charge sent him through the rubble of the wall. The monster held his shoulders, but his momentum caused him to flip over the much smaller target, his horns going into the ground right above Kiyoshi's head. They landed in a heap five feet past the wall.

Stars spun in Kiyoshi's vision as the battle turned inward, fighting for consciousness. He could only make out the sound of the rain and the growling of the monster ahead of him.

_Pathetic,_ a voice in his head seemed to say as he rolled over to his chest. As he began to push himself up, he got eyes on his enemy, who now lay on the ground in human form, his wounds half as large, though still bloody. Taro had pulled the sword out and tossed it aside.

"What the—?" Kiyoshi whispered as he watched the water wash over the former monster's body, not changing it. "That's impossible."

Taro looked terrible. Without a shirt on, his topless form was marred by cuts, deep tissue bruising, and all sorts of bloody marks. Without the fur to hide behind, his mortality was all too apparent. He lay face up, holding his stab wound on both sides as the blade had cut clean through. He began to tear from the bottom of his left pant leg, tearing around the base upward as if peeling an orange.

Kiyoshi shook as his body was wracked with pain and anxiety after the adrenalin left his system, but his attention was still fixed on the man's human form.

"How did you change without hot water?" Kiyoshi asked, not even sure if the man could answer him at this point. "And how are you not changing back?"

"Magic," the man replied, stopping his tearing as the remainders of his left pant leg exposed his leg all the way up to his thigh. "I'm trying to not bleed out here, so screw off."

Kiyoshi pushed himself to his feet, taking an unsteady step forward, but as he did, the pain in his back and neck threatened to drop him. He held firm, and then dragged his legs forward to reach his sword. Taro reached for it suddenly, but Kiyoshi kicked it away from his hand. Unable to move from his location, the man desperately rolled the material torn from his pants around his ribs to help stop the bleeding.

Kiyoshi picked up the blade slowly, gripping the wet handle firmly as he spent most of his energy not falling over.

"Care to answer my question now?"

Taro glared at Kiyoshi as his image shimmered faintly. He groaned, and then his eyes rolled back in his head as he tightened the makeshift bandage around his ribs.

"Ask...pig-boy," Taro said, his voice heavy.

"Wait, Hibiki can control his shape-shifting as well?" Kiyoshi asked in wonder, his eyelids blinking away the water dripping down from his forehead. He then glared at the man. "Regardless, I asked you. Tell me how you did it?"

"As long as you indulge the curse, it becomes manageable," Taro whispered, lying flat on his back.

"Explain that," Kiyoshi said, leveling the blade at the man's prone figure.

"Change willingly for a while, as much as you can," he replied, his voice a growl. The man then rolled to his good side and pushed himself up slightly. "Sooner or later, you can shift to your cursed form without water. Then, it's just a matter learning it backwards. That's harder, because you have to accept your cursed form as you."

_Maybe Kimiko could learn it now that she seems to have accepted being female, _Kiyoshi wondered.

"Now that the science experiment has been of use, you can either finish me off or get the hell off my land." Taro pushed himself to his feet also, but he fell backwards, barely keeping himself from tottering over until he pushed his back up against one of the remaining parts of the wall.

"This looks like your neighbor's land," Kiyoshi countered, lowering the blade as he realized Taro would no longer put up a fight. "And you have a lot to answer for. I haven't finished with you, yet."

"You're going to miss Fem-boy's miserable death scene," Taro said with a sneer.

"I will end you," Kiyoshi threatened, taking a step closer. "Watch your mouth."

Holding his sides, the man seemed compliant enough for Kiyoshi.

_I have so many questions,_ Kiyoshi thought, getting a bit frantic as the emotional overload of losing his sister returned after the battle had pushed it out.

"So then ask whatever stupid, idiotic questions you're going to ask, so I can leave this Godforsaken place."

_That will not happen. _Kiyoshi took another step forward, his blade only two feet from the man on the wall. His body hurt still, and he felt like there were broken ribs and possible a few cracked bones elsewhere in his chest, he put it out of his mind and focused on his objective.

"You really didn't bring a cure at all?" Kiyoshi asked. "Not even if you accidentally stabbed yourself?"

"No," Taro said, shaking his head. "I had three darts with the poison for Happosai. It was difficult enough to get these from those bloody Chinese devil women without ending up dead or hitched to a psycho, let alone steal anything in particular."

"And then you decided to use it on the one person I care about in this world," Kiyoshi said, barely able to keep his face straight.

"It wasn't one of my better decisions," Taro admitted, sliding down the slick wall to sit on his backside. "I thought I'd lure out Happosai for sure that way. And then I got you instead."

_Little did he know he did get me,_ the strange voice that had called him pathetic before whispered in his head.

"How do you know you didn't get Happosai?" Kiyoshi asked, glaring at the monster. _Or he got a crazy person who sees ghosts that aren't there, and hears voices now, apparently._

"You, Happosai? Hardly. I've fought with him so many times. I'd recognize his spirit even if that monster was cursed to turn into the lecherous little monkey he should have stuck as." Taro spat blood, staining his lips crimson.

"And the crack about knowing my father?"

"It wasn't mocking; it was the truth," the man said, looking up at Kiyoshi. "That Nishiyama guy gave me a lift to China in his jet with his wife and kid right before the country collapsed into a pile of refuse."

The words stunned Kiyoshi. _Father's plane? _A sudden image of a white jet entered his mind.

"Boy, was that a mistake," Taro said. "Goddamn plane went down. I only survived because I can fly. They didn't have a spare parachute for me, not that I would have taken it. I splashed myself and jumped. The kid and the dad survived. The wife's chute didn't open."

His heart beat faster as saw the image as Taro described it, the faces of his father and mother scared for their lives slowly coming to life in his mind.

"She checked my parachute three times," Kiyoshi said as goosebumps ran up and down the length of his body. "She wouldn't let me go until she made sure I told her how long after jumping to pull the cord."

"Your hair was a lot shorter then," Taro said. "I didn't recognize you until you said your name, but I didn't really pay attention to you back then."

Kiyoshi reeled as the whole sequence played out before him.

"I checked on you and your father, and then left you with some vague directions back to civilization. Too bad we crashed in the Bayankala mountain region. I felt bad leaving you behind like that, but it's not like I was going to take you to Joketsuzoku."

The words flowed in and out of him as he stared at the Nishiyama family blade. His legacy.

"They went to Jusenkyo after all," Kiyoshi said, trying to stop the flood of memories from overtaking him. "They got turned around and walked straight in. Drowned."

_Kiyoshi must be the curse,_ he thought to himself, denying any thought that pointed at a different identity. _My memories as Happosai outweigh the memories of the boy who drowned. I can't let this trickery get the better of me._

"Yeah?" Taro asked. "You wouldn't be the first."

"This was a long time ago, then?" Kiyoshi asked, trying to put together his memories. He could barely remember the twenty years he spent working his way up the Nishiyama Inc. ladder.

_Twenty years? It felt more like..._

"Four years ago," Taro said, his voice weaker than before.

_Four years ago I was..._

_In high school, on summer break. _The memories of his school uniform appeared in his head. He grew up in Japan, but visited his grandfather often in the US.

_Stop it!_

Kiyoshi closed his eyes, unable to keep the voice out.

"The trail for Happosai was dead for years, so I was heading to see Cologne. She had been the last to see him that I could figure. He disappeared a few years after Ranma left. Just vanished into China and was never heard from again. I didn't get anything out of her, so I stole some artifacts and left."

Moments passed as Kiyoshi recovered himself, and the memories stopped flooding into his mind. The ones he had recalled had blended into his memories of Happosai, and they conflicted, giving him the sense of being two separate people.

"Seichi, you lied to me," Kiyoshi yelled, his voice pitching as shivered in the cold.

"Holy hell, who are you talking to?" Taro asked with some life yet in his voice, despite the fact that he looked like he was dying.

"The ghost that pushed me forward, pushed me to find Ranma and save her," Kiyoshi said, but realized for the first time, even with his detailed memories of Happosai's life, he had no memory of finding Ranma, or saving the girl. "I remember taking her to the hospital. I used someone's passport to fly her to the United States. How did I do that?"

_Who am I? _his mind demanded, his fragmented mind unable to process the lack of logic between the two lives. _The boy who lost his famil__y in China, or the old man who alienated his family and sought the one person who had left before he had?_

* * *

For the second time in her life, Shampoo had found herself failing an attempt to save the life of a Saotome. Even in her youth, it had not enabled her to reach the boy in time, to warn him about Ryouga's return from China, and the dark shadow the followed him. It had mattered little, as by the time she had reached the Tendou house, he had already left with Ryouga, and was never seen again.

Her youth and strength had evaporated through the years since she approached middle age, and she no longer could fight toe to toe with most of her friends, including even Akane. Years had passed since she had last fought, and even then, in her current form, she would have had little chance to defend herself.

_And then I fail to save the life of his daughter in my careless haste, _she thought to herself, sad beyond all that she would lose her new family, and her life trying to save Ranma's daughter. All daughters of Nǚjié zú, or Joketsuzoku to the Japanese, knew and memorized all of the poisons the Musk Dynasty employed, going so far as building up resistances by exposing their children to non-fatal doses from an early age.

_What happened to Taro? Who could do something so __terrible to a child? _Shampoo's mind wandered, despite her pain and the danger staring her directly in the eyes.

Yowling as loud as she could, she backed up to the wall as far as she could, swiping at the two dogs who viciously approached her.

Moments before the rain, she had been paying so much attention to the vehicle steadily approaching in anticipation of finding a safe place to hide from it, that she had tripped over one of the two strays, who had been sleeping under the eaves of a local restaurant. Its yelp had shocked her, sending a wave of guilt through her that had made her momentarily forget the car's approach. It struck a large puddle of water and completely soaked her. It had been more than enough to trigger the shift.

One moment, she was apologizing to a cute stray dog, and the next she felt the change, the loss of mass and orientation that came with changing into a small animal. Lost in her own clothes, the little cat had little time to recover. The dog had been just as surprised as she, and had lashed out, attacking her before she even had a chance to sneak out of her blouse. Utilizing every survival instinct she could, Shampoo had darted out of her clothes and begun the chase that ended with her trapped in a nearby alley that she had hoped to use to evade her pursuers. However, it had become her undoing.

The two dogs snapped and growled at her, as she gave up on escaping, as they had pinned in the corner of a dead end alley with walls too slick and tall to jump. Even if they had been shorter, her legs hurt from a bite the larger of the two dogs had connected with her after she had changed. If anyone from her home could have seen her trapped in a dead end with death approaching swiftly, they would have laughed. Her grandmother would have been disappointed.

The life she once devoted to fighting, she had focused on her husband and children. Her family grew healthy and strong in her presence at the neglect of her training. She had not regretted a single moment of it until now. Her heart beat heavily, and even though she had stayed in shape, she could not defeat two the two larger creatures that trapped her in a literal dead end.

The stone wall to safety was slick, so she arched her head back to look at the dry wall behind the convenience store. Crouching on her hind legs, she prepared herself to jump as hard as she could. The smaller and more tenacious of the two dogs growled at her, closing in as its hackles rose along its neck.

Without any space to spare, the little lavender cat leaped over the dog in front of her, and then extended its claws as it flew towards the wall. Her claws dug into the wall of the convenience store as she ran along it a few steps with just enough traction to clear the two dogs. The second dog lunged at her as she skidded along the wall, its teeth nicking her left hind leg, altering her course.

She landed on the wet concrete, feeling a jolt of pain as she skidded forward, unable to control her momentum. Sliding headfirst into the side of the wall, she slid into a pile of wet cardboard boxes next to an industrial garbage bin. The sudden darkness inside the cardboard would have been welcoming, if she didn't think the dogs would pursue her inside.

They growled and tore at the boxes, pulling it apart with their teeth as they closed in on her. She squirmed in deeper, pushing back the inevitable renewing of the chase, until she hit the corner where the trash bin met the wall.

She squeezed underneath the trash bin as fast as she could, but her left hind leg burned as she fought her way forward, slowing her progress. One of the dogs must have seen her, as it rushed around to the front and snapped its teeth at her from outside. The other one almost caught her tail, but she pulled it along her side as she waddled forward. She continued pushing herself forward until she was safely nestled away from the monsters.

Her body felt as though it was crashing, and she breathed so heavily it felt as if her small lungs would burst. Every bite felt a dozen times more painful now that she had stopped her fight to survive, and she felt herself dozing. She only vaguely heard the barking and whimpering around her as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

The sudden exposure to the elements shocked her as the trash bin that had saved her disappeared completely, as if a mighty deity had swept down with its hand and plucked it away from her. Adrenalin shot through her as suddenly something took hold of her and lifted her off the ground. She panicked and lashed out with everything she had, writhing in her attacker's grip as she slashed with all four of her claws.

The sudden voice that exploded around her, the sound of something familiar, the warmth of arms all shocked her back to reality as her eyes focused on the boy holding her.

_Ranma,_ she thought, her brain coming to the one conclusion it should never have. He held her tightly, despite the cuts and scratches lining his face, chanting her name over and over. _No, not Ranma. Rintaro. Sweet, sweet Rintaro._

* * *

_Is this what love is?_ the boy wondered as he sat at the bedside of the girl who barely resembled the _**one**_ person he'd fallen in love with that first time he'd laid eyes on her in the airport. _To care about someone so much, you would switch places with her if you could__?_

His arm trembled as he held an icepack to her forehead. He had known she would leave him sooner rather than later, but not like this.

_Never like this._

Her temperature had leveled out an hour ago, but they had to keep her cool. His aunt Kasumi had dressed her in one of his sister's nightgowns, but it was too big for the redhead and fit her more like a dress. She had seemed to lose more than just her color, as the poison seemed to have _**taken**_ made her look thinner and smaller than he remembered. It didn't help that the nightgown had been soaked through with sweat.

_It's not the body, but the soul that's vanishing._

The timer on his mother's alarm clock beeped, and he hit snooze. He released her head from the ice according to Dr. Tofu's instructions.

At that very moment, her eyes snapped open and she sat up, startling him. It was as if she couldn't see him, her eyes wide and completely spoke then as well, her voice clear and perfect, but her words were incomprehensible. Then, as if—

"Kimiko?" he asked, his heart beating so fast he couldn't breathe quickly enough to keep it going right.

Then, as if nothing had ever been wrong, her eyes looked directly at him, catching the faint light from the bedside lamp.

_Green eyes._

She spoke again, her mouth moving, forming words that seemed to carry meaning, but he couldn't understand them.

"Is that Chinese?" he asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

As if he had pressed an off switch, her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell back, unconscious.

"Dr. Tofu!" he yelled, hardly able to express anything else.

* * *

Sweat dripped from the girl's pores as she slid her hands blindly along the smooth surface of her prison. The steam in the room heated her to the point of exhaustion, but she could not find a way out of the small cell that trapped her. She had tried yelling for help, but her voice remained muted. She felt the air pass through her lungs and felt the words, but her ears failed to hear them.

Time passed slowly in the madness of the darkness. She wondered if someone had brought her here while she slept. Her mind searched for answers to her indefinite imprisonment. She felt nothing beyond the heat and disorientation of her situation. Her name had slipped away sometime in the hours, though she could not remember ever having one. She wondered if she had ever existed outside the hellish existence inside the dark sauna.

The girl woke up from a nightmare in a dark room. She looked for her father, but could not find him anywhere. Unable to contain the emotions flooding her, she began to cry. Within moments, the door to his room opened, shedding light into her small room. Her father's shadow loomed over her as her arms rose up to him.

Picking her up in his arms, he shushed her, awkwardly singing the few nursery rhymes he knew. As she cried into his chest, the worries and fears dried up slowly. Her tears stopped and her cries silenced, as she became entranced by the sound of her father's voice.

His long black hair smelled of earth, the river, and strength as she breathed him in, snug and sound in his arms. She opened her tired eyes, strained from tears and fatigue, to look at his perfect face. Seeing his cheek so close as she hugged him calmed her until she fell back asleep.

The remembrance of her father suddenly felt strange, as it conflicted with another memory. Her father's face was beautiful, his image that of an Adonis. He was strong and kind. But another was there as well, his face strange. He wore glasses and a bandanna. His arms were cold, his words cruel and he took her from mother. This man was easy to picture, a fresh memory in her mind.

"You're almost there," a voice said clearly through the heat and the darkness. It startled the _**boy**_ girl badly. She gasped and started choking on air. It spoke again. "You don't have much time, so I'll help you."

The next instant, lights startled her mind as her eyes began to function again. As if the light had always been on, she did not have to adjust to the sudden change of brightness.

The girl was in her childhood bedroom where her father had sung to her before, except in place of the door was a full length mirror. A boy with black hair stared back at her. Although he looked like her father, he knew she was not. The image was blurry, but she could see the man well enough to know that. He was too thin and too young.

"Now you see," the mirage told her.

She tried to ask who the boy was, but her throat was too dry to exhale words. Her mouth would open, but soundless air would only pass through. Panic filled her as she held a hand over her lips.

"It's okay," he told her. "You don't have to speak out loud for me to hear you." She looked at the young man strangely as she wondered how that could possibly be. "Because I'm you." That made little sense to the girl. She was a girl. He was a boy. Simple. "Of course it makes sense. Think about it. Before the dream in this room, you thought you were a boy."

Her mind still felt foggy, but Jusenkyo crystallized as if she had never forgotten it. She could picture the valley of a thousand springs, where she had been cursed.

"Yes, Jusenkyo."

She looked at him with intensity, trying to make out his image better, to maybe remember it. _Why did I forget who I am?_

"I don't really don't know, kid. Jusenkyo stopped working after we flooded it. When we left, it was nothing. But maybe we brought something back? A ghost or fragment of that place?"

_You're just speculating now,_ she mused, looking at the boy in front of her. He was maybe eighteen years old. Her body felt taller as well, except he still looked many years her senior.

"You'd know," he said plainly. He lifted his hand as she did, and she realized he mirrored her every action. _It's too bad we're dying, _a foreign thought rippled on the surface of her mind.

_What? Who was that?_

"So you can see my thoughts too, huh?" the boy said as he stepped out of the mirror and into her room. "I already said I'm you. I'm the part of you that's Ranma. You're the part that's her. Though, you're the lazy one right now. You going to lie there forever?"

She sat up in the bed, realizing for the first time that her body had been prone. She looked down at herself, remarking at her familiar blue pajamas. She hadn't worn those since America. She looked up at the image in the mirror with tears rimming her eyes.

"It's okay, I'm sure we'll pull through this. We always do, don't we?"

_I know you're lying_.

"Can't I be confident about it?"

_Confidence and acting were two different things_.

"I guess not. So we might be dying. I get that. What I don't get is why we're all splintered up in our head. I mean, why am I apart from you? We're the same person, aren't we?"

_The curse._

"It just changed our body, not our soul. Right? And why are you so small? I don't get it at all."

She looked at her body and found it still small, like in the dream with her father. However she should have been, the body felt right. She wanted to be like her father, the strongest person she knew. He treated her like she was his most favorite person in the entire world.

"Hey, at least you can remember him well," the boy said, sitting down on the child's bed. His body brushed up against her thigh. _That felt so real. How can this be a dream?_

"Yeah, it's pretty weird. I wish we could remember our name."

_Ranma,_ she thought, her mind confused by his wish. _Ranma Saotome._

"That hasn't been true since you woke up in that body," he said, placing his hand on her leg.

She then focused on her memory of her papa. However, all she saw was her male-half reflected in her eyes. The boy, who looked much older than she did now, reached underneath her and lifted her up into his arms.

"You really are a kid, aren't you?" The man held her in his arms for what seemed forever as he cradled the girl in his arms.

_Why am I so small? _she asked as well, looking down at her child-sized boy, so easily carried in the boy's arms.

"I don't know," he replied, walking over to a rocking chair that sat in the corner of the room. He sat down with her in his lap and rocked her slowly.

"I'm scared," she said, her own voice shocking even her own ears.

"Hey, you talked," he said warmly, pulling her back to look at her face. "My voice was getting hoarse doing all the talking for you."

"I remember being older," she said softly, unable to look at her in the eye. "But it's a dream, isn't it?" He looked at the image of the man that held her in her arms. He was everything she wanted to be, his love and strength radiating on her. His black hair was long now, longer than hers, and tied into a long ponytail. Hers was short in comparison, only shoulder-length and reddish brown.

"I wish this was real, kid," the man said, his eyes warm with love for her. "If I had a girl like you, I'd raise you to be stronger and faster than me. And I'd never let anyone hurt you like that thing did. I'd protect you always, until you were strong enough to be the one protecting me."

"And yet here I am," the girl replied, her mind still foggy, but stronger than before. _Kimiko is what I call myself._

"You remembered. Good, you're almost there. Look at me now," Ranma said, his face clear now.

"The poison has eaten away the curse that binds us. They work in a similar way, except one is physical, and the other is spiritual."

_How do you know that?_

"I don't know," he replied. "You're the one who said it."

She placed her hand on her mouth, suddenly struck by the truth of that.

_The poison is Musk_. _I kn__ow of it. I've fought them before._

"We both have," Ranma said, smiling at her as he reached out and touched her cheek.

That moment his fingers trace her jawline, she felt different, as if she had regained something lost. It felt like exhausted relief.

She grew up, her legs long enough to touch the floor now, even as Ranma aged as well. His beard grew out and wrinkles appeared on his face. She reached out and touched his cheek.

"Why am I old now?" Ranma asked her as they both stared at their reflections in the mirror.

The girl shook her head, staring between both of the reflections, each familiar as the other.

"So that's what I should look like. Did I go full on hermit or something?"

_That's how you're supposed to look, Ranma._

"I guess, in twenty years maybe," he said, turning to face her. "Why are you such a shorty?"

"Hey!" she cried, and attempted to playfully push him, but her hands went through his body.

"What the—?" Ranma said as she fell through him. His body flashed white as her arm held forward in his center.

She quickly pulled her arm back, and then stared at her hand. She glanced up at him, a sense of dread making her feel nauseous.

"Don't look at me for an answer," Ranma told her. He shimmered for a moment, but then began to appear solid again. "That was weird, even for me. That's coming from a guy who just sprouted a full beard in less than a minute."

She reached for him again, and this time her hand pressed up against his chest. "I don't like this."

"You're telling me, kid," he said, patting her head. "What's the point of being haunted if you don't get scary, mystical advice when you need her?"

"You're talking about Lily?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, that ghost girl," Ranma replied. "Not that she'd do anything but make things more confusing. I mean, I am talking to myself in a creepy, messed-up dream."

The girl tried to remember the last time she had seen the apparition that haunted her waking moments, but all of her memories blended together.

"When do I get to wake up?" She looked up at him, her face terrified. "I don't think I can take much more of this."

"Is it me?" Ranma joked, the lightness in his voice reassuring her. "I knew I should have showered in my ghostly mirrored bathroom before walking through."

She laughed at his words and the goofy grin on his face. "You shouldn't joke about this." She said that, but she didn't mean it.

"I really wish I'd said goodbye to Akane," Ranma said out of the blue, his eyes half-closed and drifting. "It's the one thing I truly, truly regret about my entire life."

"Huh?" the girl whispered, not understanding him at all. "What do you mean?"

Ranma then looked at her with his deep blue eyes and touched her face. It felt like sparks running through her brain, awakening a series of lost events.

"Oh my God."

* * *

_Akane_.

The name rang through the boy's head as he shuffled through his jackets and pants, checking each of them for a distinct shape. In his determination to find the lost item, he accidentally ripped the pocket of his nice jacket. Even that did not stop his frantic search through his room, leaving devastation in his wake.

Akane. The name rang through his head like a bell. She would be home soon, and he didn't want to ruin this moment for her. He had done that enough in the two years that they had been together. The first year had been difficult, with crazies coming out of the woodwork to challenge him or kidnap her.

"She loves me, anyway." The right side of his cheek lifted in an uneven grin.

Searching the last garment he owned, Ranma thought back to where he last had the object.

"Let's see, I brought it with me on the picnic, but it rained and changed me. So we went back. By the time we arrived at the dojo. I got some hot water, and then the rain had let up. Pops challenged me, telling me I'd gone soft over the last few months. Then we fought and..."

His eyes opened wide. He knew where it must have fallen.

Bursting out of the room he no longer shared with his father, since the man had gone to live with Ranma's mother again, he ran downstairs, nearly running into Akane.

"Baka, slow down!" Akane yelled at him as he ran downstairs.

"Sorry, Akane!" he yelled back as he exited through the dining room and into the yard.

"Why are you in such of a hurry, anyway?" she asked. "I was just coming to see what you were up to. You've been acting weird since we got back from the park."

Ranma nodded absently, and then waded into the koi pond. His body shimmered as he shrank. Living two years with the curse without hope for the cure any longer, he had come to not care which form he took. The only person who still cared was his father, who thought that he was becoming too girly and had to take any opportunity he could get to prove to his son that he shouldn't give up on finding a cure.

"Huh?" Akane said, verbalizing her confusion. "Did you lose your mind?"

"No, something else," he said, and then dunked his head below the surface of the water.

As soon as he had accepted his cursed form, his life had begun to irrevocably change. Where once he had encountered enemies nearly every week, they had no longer appeared so often, and when they did, they were less bizarre. The challengers changed to the garden variety martial artist, who he would defeat without must effort. At first he had worried that he had peaked and seen everything.

It was then that he had realized that the next chapter of his life had to be something else.

_Akane_.

She had been the answer to the question of his future.

* * *

"Why are you showing me this?" the girl asked as she pulled Ranma's hand away from her cheek.

"You don't remember what happened," the boy replied, grinning as he sat on her bed. "You probably remember bits and pieces, but it's been like trying to look at someone through obscure glass, like the kind they use for showers."

Ever since she had woken up in the hospital, she had been unable to remember the last year of her life. The last thing she could remember with any clarity was the heavy rain in China after she had defeated Saffron.

"That's why I'm showing you. I'll skip to the important parts, I promise."

_Alright. _The girl nodded. In response, he took her face in both of his hands and closed his eyes.

* * *

Shivering from scouring the koi pond, Ranma emerged in his girl-form, dripping wet. Akane brought him a towel, which he accepted gratefully. In the spring, the weather was a bit too cool for taking dips in the water.

"I'm surprised the fish haven't all died of heart attacks yet," Akane said as she wrapped the towel around him and rubbed his red hair with it. "So, Ranma, you going to tell me why you walked into the koi pond and dunked your head in? If you wanted to turn into a girl, all you had to do was use the faucet."

"You'll know in a bit," he told her mysteriously. In response, she rubbed his face with the towel.

"Uh-huh," she said suspiciously. "Sounds like I don't want to know." She then pulled the towel back.

"What?" Ranma asked, holding his arm over his stomach, still shivering.

"Strip down," she said, her face a bit red. "You're going to catch a cold if you stay like that. And get that grin off your face, pervert."

"So says the _lady_ telling me to take off my clothes," Ranma said, grinning ear to ear. "Besides, what about your dad? Usually you freak when I walk around topless in my girl-form."

"Dad left earlier to go meet with some family friends," she said. "We've got the place to ourselves."

With Nabiki in college, his father living with his mother, and Kasumi in nursing school, this was not an uncommon occurrence. So Ranma stripped off his shirt, and then slipped out of his sodden pants, bending down to palm the object he had recovered from the koi pond before kicking them to the rocks by the sliding door entrance of the dining room.

"Those, too," Akane said, turning her head, her cheeks pink.

"Wow, Akane," he replied, his body and especially his face feeling warmer already. "It really takes a strong woman to tell a man to strip off his boxers like that."

"Man?" she stated, crossing her arms over her breasts.

"Well, figuratively." Ranma then dropped his boxers down to his ankles and kicked them onto his pile of wet clothes. Akane then wrapped him in the towel. While it might have barely covered his male form, it was more than plenty to wrap him up in his girl form. Akane surprised him as she rubbed him dry.

She had become used to his female form and had begun to treat him a bit differently when he was that way. Previously she had considered his female form perverted, but slowly and surely that had alleviated, allowing them to grow closer. In the last year, they had even kissed occasionally since their fathers no longer had to push them together, only to blow the moment. With most of their friends in college, including Kuno and his sister, and Shampoo, Mousse, and Cologne returned to China, Ukyo was the only person who remained from his core group of female admirers, but even she had given up.

After Akane finished toweling him dry, she hung it around his shoulders. "To the bath with you."

Fidgeting, Ranma glanced at the item he held in his hand as she had her back turned.

_Where to stash it? _He had little time to think as Akane pushed him forward into the house, and toward the bathroom.

"Wait," he protested, but didn't fight her. "I can just change with some hot water. I don't need a bath."

"You smell, Ranma." Akane rarely sugarcoated anything. "You're wet from the koi pond and that just made it worse from fighting your father earlier," she explained, directing him down the hall with her palms planted firmly on his back.

"Fine," Ranma conceded, walking ahead of her on his own volition.

After bathing and dressing in clothes she brought down for him, Ranma exited the bath to find Akane setting the dinner table. Without asking, he joined her, setting all the dishes out. Most of the dishes were simple—rice, fried tofu, some fish and vegetables—but it looked appetizing enough. They sat across from each other in their usual spots and began to eat.

"Where'd you get this take out from? It's not bad." Ranma bit into the fish. _Needs more seasoning, but it's cooked nicely._

Akane remained silent, watching him as she ate delicately.

Their picnic had been ruined by the sudden storm in the afternoon, so Ranma could have digested just about anything. He polished off a bowl of rice and looked up at the girl, who had been silent since he had helped her set the table.

"What's wrong, Akane?" he asked.

"I cooked dinner," she told him evenly, the creases of a smile on her cheeks. She took a sip of tea fairly nonchalantly for the revelation she had just unleashed upon him.

Reassessing each of the dishes on the table, Ranma counted the number of things she had cooked horribly wrong. Normally that low of a number was reserved for the things she had cooked correctly. Everything was cooked with the right sauces and at the right temperatures.

"You did it!" Ranma exclaimed, overcoming the surprise. "Great job, Akane!"

Akane beamed, her eyes watery as she tried to continue eating. After a moment, she whispered, "Thank you..."

"What was that?" Ranma teased. "I couldn't hear you."

"Thank you," Akane said a bit reluctantly. "I don't think I could have done it without you."

Ranma shook his head. "You just needed a push in the right direction."

Akane coughed.

"Okay, well, maybe fifty or sixty pushes, but you still did it on your own today," Ranma said, digging back into dinner.

After dinner, as Akane stood to begin cleaning up, Ranma held out his hand. She paused and looked at him expectantly.

"My turn to surprise you," he said, popping up and walking into the kitchen where he grabbed a box from the refrigerator. After a few moments of preparation, he returned and placed it in front of her.

"What's this for?" she popped it open, revealing a chocolate cake inside. "Cake?"

"Happy anniversary," Ranma grinned, deftly lifting the cake out of the box.

"You remembered," she said, blinking back tears. "I didn't think you would. You didn't say anything, not even when you brought up the idea of the picnic yesterday."

"There's something extra special about this cake, too," he said, pointing to the writing on top of the frosting.

Akane examined the text, furrowing her brow as she read aloud, "Happy Anniversary. I have something to ask you." She looked up at him in askance. "What...?" Her voice trailed off.

Ranma, already kneeling, now held out a small box in his hands. Her eyes bugged out as he flipped the lid, revealing the ring he had lost in the koi pond before.

"Akane, will you marry me?"

* * *

From the doorway to the master bedroom, Akane watched her son tirelessly waiting at the side of the little red-haired girl. He held her hand gently in between his own. Even if she didn't know it, she held his young, tender heart almost as assuredly as he held her hands at this moment in time.

_Conflict has a way of bringing people together,_ she thought as she placed her cheek against the door frame. _When the conflict ends, are those united by it destined to fall apart?_

She heard footsteps coming down the hall towards her, and looked down the hall. Ryouga walked towards her, freshly washed and dressed out of the shower. His hair was still damp as he stopped behind her.

"How is she?" her husband asked as he placed his hand on her right shoulder.

"She's a fighter," the woman whispered, placing a hand over his. "She's in and out of consciousness, though she's barely lucid when she is. Nichi-chan thinks she's talking in Chinese, but no one else has heard her actually say anything that sounds coherent."

"Chinese?" Ryouga asked, his voice doubtful. "But she's supposed to be American."

"She's supposed to be a lot of things," Akane replied, kissing his hand. "I'm just glad the poor girl's still alive. Her brother should have come back by now."

"There's no telling if Taro even has a cure," Ryouga said somberly, the tone of his voice telling her as much.

She kept her voice as low as possible as she asked, "If there is no cure, then what? Watch her die?" She heard him sigh as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I just don't know," he said, kissing her neck.

"I feel so helpless," she told him.

"Wasn't Shampoo supposed to come?" Ryouga asked, pulling back and standing on the other side of the doorway to watch his son.

"Yeah, she answered her phone initially, but we can't reach her now," Akane said, feeling a bit lost. "It's like old times, except now we're the elders, but we don't know anything. Not like Cologne did."

Ryouga didn't respond, but rather looked angry at that. "For all that wisdom, she abandoned her great-granddaughter like she was nothing. If it hadn't been for Tofu-sensei, she'd probably have done something drastic."

_I always forget how much he still hates Cologne,_ she thought as she reached around his waist and pulled him to her. "I'm sorry for bringing her up. If it hadn't been Dr. Tofu, we would have taken her in."

"It took her years before she would even talk to you, Akane," Ryouga whispered. "Everyone is better off without her meddling."

"Except when we're not," Akane countered. "We might be better off without her, but that girl isn't."

The look on Ryouga's face was indescribable as he stared at the still form of the girl.

"I really thought she was Ranma," he said with his eyes far away. "She made me think she was when she attacked me in the park."

"What? When?"

"A few nights ago," he began explaining quietly. "It was early in the morning, before the sun had really come up. I was lost in the park, and didn't have money for a cab. I was still seeing that shadow, and was on edge when she approached me."

"It came back again?" Akane asked in nearly a gasp. "But it hasn't bothered you in years."

"Just this week," he said, shaking his head. "It started this week when Mayako got back from China. I was supposed to go pick her up with Kenichi, but couldn't risk it. Then Taro caught up to me right afterward, and I couldn't risk leading him back home."

Akane nodded. "But why did she attack you in the park?"

"I mistook her for Ranma, and then said my name. Right afterward, she began to taunt me. I thought she was just another ghost, torturing me, but I didn't attack first. She didn't recognize me at first, which I didn't think weird until later."

"So she knows your name, but not what you look like?" Akane said, her eyes darting to the girl.

"I thought she was crazy, but if she is his daughter..." Ryouga said, trailing off.

"Then she'd know all about you," Akane finished his sentence.

He nodded. "I tried to apologize to her at the park, thinking she was Ranma. But she accused me of trying to kill her by throwing her off a cliff. That didn't make any sense. I mean, Ranma was the one that knocked me off a cliff into Jusenkyo, not the other way around. I thought she was the shadow trying to torment me again, and then I fought back. If it hadn't been for her brother's interference, I might have really hurt the poor girl."

"Are you still seeing it?" Akane asked, unintentionally holding her breath in anticipation.

"Not since that night," he told her, his voice sounding as relieved as she felt as she exhaled her breath. He rubbed her shoulder gently. "For whatever reason, I think it's gone for good. I can't tell you why I think that, but I do."

"I wonder what Ranma told her happened between the three of us?" Akane asked, barely able to explain Ranma's disappearance, let alone for some old grudge that would cause his daughter to attack her husband. "He can't be jealous after nearly twenty years."

Ryouga nodded. "The way she was talking, I agree with you. There has to be something else. I really hope she's going to be okay."

"Me, too."

A commotion at the front door caught both of their attention. The door slammed and voices were raised. Ryouga rushed past his wife down the hall.

"What's going on?" Kenichi asked her, his eyes wide.

"Get me some clothes and hot water!" Rintaro's voice sounded from the other side of the house.

"I'll find out. You stay with her." Akane's heart began to beat quickly as she walked swiftly down the hall past the bathroom to the front of the house. She entered the foyer to find a very wet Rintaro handing off Shampoo in cat form to Tofu-sensei, who rushed into the kitchen with her with Kasumi.

Rintaro paused just beyond the door, his eyes were wild as he panted from exhaustion.

"What happened, Rintaro-kun?" Ryouga asked as he began sliding the traveling pack off the boy's shoulders.

Rintaro didn't answer right away as he stood there with his arms still outstretched and the sleeves of his training uniform stained with blood. Akane walked past the two and followed Kasumi into the kitchen.

"Akane-chan, can you please get me some of your clothes for Shampoo?" Kasumi asked her sister in a sweet, yet urgent tone. The woman turned the water on the kitchen sink to hot.

"Sure," Akane said, her heart still beating loudly in her chest. She sucked in a breath and looked at Shampoo's husband, who was examining her.

"It looks like she has some bites, but the bleeding has stopped," Tofu-sensei said as Akane began to walk out. "It should be safe for her to change."

Walking into the hall, she found her daughter comforting Rintaro, who still looked _**a**_ shell-shocked. She was pulling him into the dining room.

"You okay?" Ryouga asked, pulling his wife towards him as she lingered in the hall a moment. "You look kind of pale."

The woman nodded. _It's been a long time since our lives __have__ been this eventful._ "I'm going to get some clothes for Shampoo. It looks like she's okay."

Ryouga nodded, and then followed after his daughter and Rintaro.

Akane walked down the hall to her room, finding Kenichi waiting for her. He watched her expectantly as she went to her closet.

"Rintaro brought Shampoo in, and she all beat up," she told him, pulling out some loose-fitting clothing for her friend. She heard her son gasp, and turned to face him. "Don't worry, babe. She'll be okay."

Kenichi looked like someone who could no longer feel sadness, he was so overwhelmed by it.

"Honey?" she asked, walking up to him. "Are you okay?"

"No," he replied, staring at her directly. "How can anyone be okay? Grandfather is in the hospital, Mayako has a broken arm, Aunt Shampoo is hurt, and Kimiko is more sick than I've ever seen anyone."

Tears leaked down both of her cheeks as she pulled the boy into a hug. "There really isn't anything I can say to make you feel better. But you have to know that terrible things happen, and our families always pull out stronger in the end. Kimiko is going to live through this."

Moments later, Akane entered the kitchen, where Shampoo was sitting on the island counter that Kasumi had cleaned off previously for Kimiko when her brother had brought the girl here. Her back was arched over, showing her spine as she submitted her arm for Tofu and Kasumi to clean and bandage her. Her hair was wrapped in a towel, but that was the only part of her covered.

"I come with clothing," Akane told the two health care professionals and their patient. She walked around to the front and placed the clothes next to Shampoo.

"Thank you, Akane," Shampoo said, smiling. "Sorry for the trouble."

"No apologies necessary," Akane said, turning to the side to afford the woman some privacy. "We're the same height, so my clothes should fit you just fine."

"Those are fine, thank you." She turned to look at Akane. "How is the girl? I tried to come sooner, but the rain..."

"She's not doing well," Akane admitted, "though she seems more stable now than before. She's fighting it every step of the way. All we can do is keep her cool now."

"Alright, love," Tofu told her, finishing wrapping a bandage on her leg. "You're all patched up. Please, please, please take it easy today. You gave us all a scare."

With all of her bandages in place, Shampoo wearily dropped to her feet and picked up the oversized T-shirt and shorts that Akane had brought her. She tugged the shirt over her head, and then slipped into the shorts. She then gingerly wrapped her arms around her husband, avoiding the bandages on her arms.

"I'm sorry, dear," she said, still holding him a moment later. "That was the scariest thing I've ever been through. But, I am fine now, and I need to do what I came here for. Where's the girl?"

"My room," Akane replied. "Kenichi is in with her right now."

Shampoo nodded and began to limp her way towards the hall. Akane moved alongside the woman, and then took her hand. Lifting the woman's arm, she draped it around her neck to support. They walked down the hall and into the room where Kenichi and the unconscious Kimiko awaited them.

"Auntie," Kenichi said warmly as they entered. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thank you, Kenichi-kun," the purple-haired woman said, smiling as Akane released her next to the bed. Shampoo sat on the bed, and then leaned over Kimiko.

Akane watched as the one-time nurse placed her fingers against the girl's neck, checking her pulse. "She does not look that bad. Strong girl."

"Really?" Akane asked, her tone incredulous. "She's been in and out of consciousness for half a day now."

"For a half-day? No, a few hours at most, right?" Shampoo replied, the confusion in her voice evident. "Musk Dynasty poison kills in five-to-six hours."

"What?" Kenichi whispered. "Is it because she's so strong?"

Shampoo shook her head, and then pulled back the thin sheet covering her, causing Kenichi to quickly turn away, as Kimiko only wore a thin slip, nearly transparent with sweat. The woman lifted the girl's clothing up and over her hips up just below her breasts. She then felt up and down her sides.

"What are you looking for?" Akane asked, shooing her son out of the room. He left without comment, as the embarrassment of being in a room with a naked girl was a bit out of his league.

"Signs of Musk poison," Shampoo answered. "When outsiders are poisoned by Musk weapons, they first get a fever, and then get boils and welts on the skin around the sides and underarms. Low doses will still have bumps that healers can feel. It not always react the same way for all peoples."

Akane sat in Kenichi's chair, leaning over to look at the girl's skin. "I don't see anything. Do you feel anything?"

"No," Shampoo replied. "She can't be poisoned by Musk weapons."

Akane lifted one of the three ancient darts from the nightstand by her bed and displayed it to Shampoo.

"That is Musk blow dart," Shampoo said, her eyes wide. She carefully took it from Akane. "It has poison on it. How is she still alive?"

Akane blinked. "Uh, I dunno?"

Shampoo felt the girl's sides again, causing Kimiko to lurch up. Both Shampoo and Akane leaned back in surprise.

The girl spoke for a moment, her eyes only partially open. Her voice was weak, and Akane couldn't make out the words.

"She speaks in Chinese," Shampoo told Akane.

"Really?" Akane looked at the girl again. _Kenichi was right. _"What did she say?"

"It sound like she ask for her mother. I think she is hallucinating."

_Her mother?_

Shampoo spoke to the girl in Chinese for a moment. Akane watched as the girl's eyes slowly opened, causing the woman's jaw to drop. The girl replied in Chinese as well, her eyes watery. Shampoo took the damp cloth from the bowl that Kenichi had been using and pressed it against the girl's forehead.

"She says she is lost," Shampoo said. "The fever makes her see things. This is normal reaction to the poison."

"But I thought you said..." Akane didn't get to finish her statement, as Shampoo interrupted her.

"Is normal for a warrior of Joketsuzoku. Girls of the village ingest poison in tiny doses to build immunity from Musk trickery. It is why Chinese government did not interfere with Joketsuzoku. Musk deadly to all but my people."

"So that means she's from Joketsuzoku?" Akane asked, dumbfounded by the revelation.

"Or she train there, though this is strange," Shampoo replied. "Is possible that she train with someone who knows about Musk, too."

"Like Ranma?"

* * *

"So what can we do to help her then?" Kenichi's mother asked of Shampoo in earshot of him.

"Is nothing we can do," Shampoo said, her voice sad. "She might recover in a few months, if her body fights off the poison, and she stays healthy. Without great-grandmother's knowledge, there's nothing to do."

"Then we need to bring her to Cologne," Akane's voice said, the bull-headed certainty in her voice rearing up. "There's no way we can rely on chance for this."

"I cannot return," Shampoo said helplessly. "Great-grandmother explicit on this point. Lose Ranma, lose right to enter village. If I return, they will kill me."

Kenichi pushed the door open and walked in part of the way. "I'll bring her. I'll do whatever it takes."

End Part Three: Sayonara

* * *

Author's Notes: Hi all, forgive the ridiculous lateness of this chapter. I've been writing it for three weeks now, off and on. My good old friend writer's block/procrastination got me to see a bunch of movies and watch a lot of anime, despite my self-imposed restrictions when I'm late on a chapter. The sheer fact is that I had to actually write it all instead of re-purposing the last bits of the original story.

So what does it mean now that part 3 is completed? One word: Prologue.

So what does this mean for MLC? It's going to take one more piece for me to finish. It won't be more than a couple pieces long, but I'm going to write the whole thing before posting it so it could take a while. Give me at least a month before pestering me about it.

On the news front for My Love's Flame, I'll be starting the next part with chapter 16. I already have it plotted out and will probably have it by the end of the week (don't hold me to that, though – more likely is next Monday or Tuesday.)

Until next time!


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